Forbidden:Four Fates
by Hecateslover
Summary: The sequel to Forbidden:A Tale of Four Friends is finally here! HPDM, HPNL, HPLL, ect. Harry and the gang are feeling a bit lost. What will happen now? Rated M for a reason. BDSM, other warnings in first chapter.
1. Aftermath

Welcome to the first chapter of the much awaited sequel to _Forbidden: A Tale of Four Friends._ Please read the first story, or this one won't make any sense.

**Forbidden: Four Fates**

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Warnings: Slash, Femslash, Het, cross dressing, BDSM, and other awesome things. MATURE readers only please.

So, to catch you up. Where we last left off, Hogwarts has been destroyed, and Voldemort has been defeated, along with Malfoy Sr. However, all of the Deatheaters still remain. It was to be their seventh year, however, with the school destroyed, everyone's education is put to an abrupt halt.

Now, on to the story.

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Chapter One: What Now?

Harry was exhausted. They had spent the entire day cleaning up the remains of the school, alongside the staff members that were able to help. The House elves also helped clean up, however the rest of the creatures in the Forest stayed put. The villagers from Hogsmeade had come and helped as well, and as nighttime fell, several tents were erected for the clean up crew.

Harry and his friends had a tent to themselves. They had set up their tent on the shore of the lake, far enough away from the damage so that it wouldn't be disturbed. It was a magical tent, so it was much larger on the inside than it was on the outside. Currently, he was taking off his boots inside their tent, while Neville and Luna were attempting to make some dinner.

Draco was already lying in bed, drained. His Father had died, and he was literally the last Malfoy. They knew that the Aurors were going to question them tomorrow, so they wanted to rest while they could.

Harry looked at Draco sadly. "Draco…everything will be okay."

Draco sat up. "No it won't. Mother is gone. Father is gone. And…and that baby. I think my Family must be cursed or something."

"Draco, don't say that." Harry said, leaning forward to hug him. "You're a good man. You're nothing like your Father." Draco's arms tightened around his middle. "Your family isn't cursed. You'll see." He pulled away just slightly, smiling playfully at him.

Draco cracked a smile, and Harry felt a little better. Draco looked over at Luna. "Lu, what are you making? I think it's burning, whatever it is."

"Grilled cheese sandwiches. And they're supposed to be burnt." Luna chirped, making a face at Draco over her shoulder.

Harry got up from the bed, and looked over as someone knocked on the outside of their tent. "May I come in?" Remus.

Harry let him in. "Remmy. How are you?"

"I'm fine- but…are you guys okay?" Remus asked worriedly, looking to the others.

Neville set out bowls onto the small table. "Yeah. We're alright. You want a grilled cheese sandwich and some soup?"

Remus' stomach rumbled. "That sounds pretty good, actually."

"Hope you like them burned." Harry whispered to Remus. He smoothed his hair back. "I'm so tired. And tomorrow, all those Aurors will be here."

"And reporters." Remus said, making a face.

"Ugh." Harry poured some juice into glasses for everyone. Draco got up from the bed with a sigh, and set out the utensils.

After a quiet dinner, Remus spoke up. "Albus asked me if I knew anything about this wand of yours, Harry."

Harry sighed. "I figured. What did you tell him?"

"Told him that was your business to tell. He asked Flitwick and Hagrid too. They said the same thing."

"Hagrid's still got his hut and stables. I wonder why those things remained." Luna said.

"No one is really sure. The Headmaster believes it might be because the building was built rather recently, when Hagrid was kept on at the school."

Neville spoke up. "So are we going to rebuild?"

"We're going to have to. There aren't any other magical schools in the UK." Remus said with a frown. "Students might have to go abroad this year while we rebuild."

"But…what if they don't want to come back?" Harry whispered. "What if they like…Beaubaxtons or whatever place they're sent to more?"

"We can't keep them from getting their education, Kit. It's rather up to them." Draco said.

"Well, hopefully the Chamber is still intact. Maybe the Dungeons?" Harry asked hopefully.

Draco shook his head. "Severus and I already checked it out today. Completely ruined. Lake water's flooded it all, and what isn't flooded is buried underneath all that rubble. Everything will have to be re-done."

"So…all of the books are gone. All of the artifacts. Merlin…" Harry breathed, looking as though he was nearly going to cry. "All that information was lost."

"But we read all of those books." Luna said. "So the information isn't really lost. It's all in our heads."

The four of them looked around at each other. Remus spoke up. "And I know the four of you read quite a bit of Hogwart's library. And with the collective knowledge of the staff, and their own private collections of books, I think we'll be okay."

"Firenze said that the school was Fated to end. Does that mean we build an entirely new school?" Luna asked.

"I…I think so." Harry said softly.

"Another Hogwarts, or another school entirely?" Draco asked.

Harry straightened up, and looked as though an Big Idea had just occurred to him. "Another school. Something completely new."

He grinned widely. "What's the best way to completely change a community?"

The others glanced at each other. Luna looked thoughtful. "Build or make something new."

"Right. But how to change a community the quickest?"

"What?" Neville asked.

Harry sighed. "Think about it. Every single generation of witch and wizard in the UK for the past thousand years went to Hogwarts. Every single one of them was somehow influenced by the school, whether it be their classmates, teachers, or whatever House they were sorted into."

Everyone nodded slowly.

"So…what happens if we make an entirely new school…and change it slightly? Those changes will influence the next generation of students, onwards, right?"

Luna grinned. "Okay, so what are you thinking?"

Draco handed Harry some paper, and the boy started to write things down feverishly. "We need to travel. Check out all the magical schools we can. I want to see the best traits of each school, and see how we could combine them to make a school that is something we can be proud of. Then we build it."

"But…money? Time? And what if people just want to rebuild Hogwarts?" Draco asked.

"They can't. Literally. The Ley lines can't support the school. They will need to build it elsewhere, or they will need to build it entirely without magic, or…" Harry trailed off, and wrote some more. "First, though, we need to figure out what will happen here."

After Remus left, the four of them piled into the bed together, and got comfortable. Harry and Luna had their backs to one another, cuddling up with Neville and Draco respectively. Neville was holding Harry to his chest, Harry's head resting on the boy's shoulder.

"Nev…things are going to change, aren't they?"

"Yeah Kit, they are."

"Why can't we just have a normal year?"

"What is normal anyways?" Luna giggled into Draco's neck, kissing it. Draco gave her a ghost of a smile.

"Everything will sort itself out. With Voldemort gone, we can think about other things now." He said softly.

Harry's eyes flicked up to Neville's. "I'm sad that we don't have the Chamber anymore. I'm going to miss that bed."

Neville gave him a grin. "It's not really the bed that matters- it's what you do in it that counts." A hand stroked down his side, a smirk spreading on his face.

Harry tilted up his head, connecting their lips in a soft kiss. Harry sighed, feeling a tongue slip in between his lips. The hand that stroked down his side pulled him forward by the hip, making Harry get on top of Neville.

Harry and Neville kissed languidly, Harry feeling Neville's hands intertwine in his hair. He pulled at it a bit, making Harry pull away, baring his neck. Neville started to kiss it. Harry looked over to see Draco and Luna watching them, with grins on their faces.

He squeaked as Neville rolled them over, so that he was on his back. He could hear the others laughing, and Harry started to laugh too, but cut himself off with a gasp when Neville nipped at his collarbone. Harry could feel another pair of lips started to kiss the other side of his neck, and another pair of lips on his mouth. Harry groaned, shifting his hips as hands joined the fray, stroking his skin.

It took him just a moment to recognize that Draco was the one kissing him on the lips- he had a very distinctive kiss. However distinctive it was, though, Neville was the best kisser, in Harry's opinion. Harry arched up slightly as Neville bit at his nipple, and nails scratching up his thighs, spreading his legs.

He pulled away from Draco's lips, gasping for breath. He felt them shift around, and Draco got on his other side, while Luna and Neville continued their ministrations. Luna began to stroke his cock while Neville slowly prepared him.

Draco kissed him once more, distracting him a bit from Neville's preparations. Harry groaned as he felt Neville enter him, and Luna's hand quicken. "Fuck!"

"Kit used a bad word. Kit, do we need to get the soap?" Neville said in a low voice.

Harry shook his head, panting.

"Yes or No, Kit."

"N-no. Don't stop." He whispered, clutching at the boy's shoulders at a particularly deep thrust. Draco's hand joined Luna's on his cock, teasing it. Neville pulled him into a sitting position into his lap, and shoved Harry down onto his cock.

Harry cried out, wrapping his arms around Neville's neck. "Oh…Nev….Gods-"

Another pair of hands held him from behind, and as Neville left his hole, another cock entered him. His head lolled back onto Draco's shoulder. "Draco!"

The two boys took turns entering him, one, then the other, creating delicious friction between the three of them. Harry's mouth was occupied with Luna's, and distracted him so thoroughly that he noticed a moment too late that two cocks had entered him at once.

He stiffened for just a moment at the burning sensation- they hadn't done this before. "You okay kit?" Neville whispered.

Harry nodded quickly. "Yes. Just…slow."

He shifted his hips slightly, moving down slowly, then back up. Luna's hand stroked at his cock, and began to kiss him once more. He grunted as both cocks began to thrust into him slowly, and began to go faster. Finally, he pulled away from Luna, clinging to Neville as he just let it ride out.

He barely had any control over his muscles, groaning loudly he felt one of them come, and then the other. He gasped, shuddering, as Draco moved out from behind him, and Neville pushed him back onto the bed roughly. Harry laid there, gasping for breath, limp and sated. He watched sleepily as Draco went down on Luna, while Neville held onto her arms, kissing her thoroughly.

He smiled, watching them.

Well, not everything would change. He felt as though they would always have each other.

The next morning, they were up early and exited their tent, looking around them in shock. The Grounds were…filled with people. Kids and parents worked side by side cleaning up the rubble, with American, French, Spanish, and British Aurors. They searched the crowds, and found Hermione, grinning at them.

"Hey Harry."

"Hi…what are you doing here?"

"Cleaning all this up, of course. Everyone heard what happened last night. It was all over the papers this morning. I came over, and it seemed like everyone else had the same idea."

"Wow. There's so many people here."

Hermione nodded quickly. "There are. Everyone's off of work today anyways." She motioned to Hagrid's hut. "The Professors are over there with the Minister, if you want to talk to them."

Harry nodded quickly, and the four of them went through the crowd, shaking hands and greeted many people as they passed. They saw Hagrid first, and the man waved them over with a wide grin. Harry's smile spread as he saw the American President, Adam Smith, along with his son Mike standing with the Headmaster, Scrimengour, and Professor McGonagall.

"Mr. Potter!" The President greeted. Harry gave him a small smile, shaking hands with him.

"Harry, Luna, Draco, Neville- good to see you again." Mike said with a smile. Harry grew uncomfortable under the stares of the Minister, Headmaster, and McGonagall.

Harry gave them a small smile, and turned to the Headmaster. "So…what's happening today?"

"Well, everyone is cleaning up the grounds. We're hoping that it won't take more than a few weeks. We want reconstruction to start within the month, and we want it to be finished before the first snow fall." The Headmaster said.

Harry bit his lip. "Sir, Firenze said-"

"Of course, The Ministry of Magic will donate a good amount of money towards reconstruction, but considering we also have to rebuild Diagon Alley and Hogsme-" Scrimengour cut in.

"Sir, Firenze said-"

"Mr. Potter, why don't you go help the others with the cleaning up? We've got quite a bit of work ahead of us, my boy."

Harry put his hands on his hips. "We can't rebuild. Not here."

"Why not?" The President asked.

"Firenze said that Hogwarts was Fated to fall."

"Who is Firenze?"

"A Centaur. He's rather nice." Luna chirped.

"Harry, really-" Dumbledore said, shaking his head.

"The lay lines can't support it! We can't build Hogwarts as it was- unless you want it to collapse again. We were lucky this time- we had warning!" Harry yelled, getting angry. He did NOT want to play Neville's card- he was officially Gryffindor's heir, and as he was the only heir left that was still alive, he could 'claim' the grounds as his, but that would give them more attention- something that the teens didn't want.

"We can't rebuild. Not yet. We have to wait for the lay lines to recover. We also need to find a way so that the school doesn't feed from them so much- it's stripping the magic from the Forest."

"It's just a forest." Scrimengour muttered.

"Just A FOREST?" Harry yelped, and Neville grabbed his arm warningly. "Sir, it is _not_ just a Forest. Some of the rarest magical creatures in the world inhabit that Forest. It has been a sanctuary for over a thousand years for them."

Scrimengour looked thoughtful. "How rare? I don't believe I've ever been in that Forest."

"It's called Forbidden for a reason." The Headmaster said, looking thoughtful. "Harry, the children need to go to school. We can't just make them stay home."

The President spoke up. "You still have all of your staff, correct?"

The Headmaster nodded.

"Set up classrooms in the tents. Have the children commute from their homes to here. In the meantime, you can search for other areas where you can rebuild."

"Breaking a thousand years of tradition? Headmaster, surely we could build here." Scrimengour said.

Harry sighed roughly, and approached Hagrid, pulling him aside.

"Hagrid, when you first got this cabin built, how was it built?"

"I did it me self." Hagrid said proudly. "Stone by stone."

"You didn't magick any of it?"

Hagrid shook his head. "Nope."

Harry looked thoughtfully at the ground, and slowly smiled. He interrupted the Headmaster's debate with Scrimengour.

"Headmaster, could we possibly build the new school entirely without magic?"

They all stared at him. "What?"

"Well, the school was feeding off of the lay lines. If it was built entirely without magic, then it wouldn't feed off of the lay lines, now would it?"

He turned to Scrimengour. "So the school could still be built here. It won't be Hogwarts of course, since that couldn't be recreated without magic, but it will be a new school."

"Only muggles know how to build without magic." Scrimengour said, frowning.

"Actually, that's not true." The President said with a smile. He looked at Harry. "I think that's a wonderful idea, Mr. Potter. Of course, construction will be longer, and harder, but it might just work."

Harry grinned, looking at the Headmaster hopefully.

"It will cost more." Dumbledore said, frowning. "Rufus, you will need to appeal to the Wizengamot, and I will talk to the Board. We can either find a new location, or build a new school entirely. We will research and find out which option will be best."

The Minister nodded, and the Headmaster rolled up some papers, looking thoughtful.

The President turned to Harry and his friends. "So, are you four going to be here at the grounds?"

Harry bit his lip, glancing to the others. Honestly, there was a lot to do, and it all couldn't be done on the grounds.

"Well, we're going to help with the clean up, but there are other things that need to be done." Harry said reluctantly.

The President nodded. "Well, if you ever decide to come to the U.S for a visit, please come by and see us."

Mike spoke up. "I've nearly finished with the Masters program. Are you going to go for your Masters as well?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure." Harry said, glancing to the others. He looked to the mass of people cleaning up. "Well, I suppose we could go help out." He motioned to the others.

It took two weeks for the rubble to clear. Tents had been erected out of the way so that the kids could begin their classes. When not in class, they either helped with the cleanup, or were sent back to their homes. It was hard, making do with what supplies they had, but everyone was managing.

Harry and his friends organized a benefit concert to raise money. A stage was built under a large tent. The Twins set up special fireworks, while Sam, Mike, and Harry got some special equipment together. The Creevey brothers were taking pictures like mad for the Advertisements. Draco organized for Celestina Warbeck to perform, as well as the Weird Sisters. _Forbidden_ was going to open for them!

Luna advertised for the benefit concert, putting ads in the Quibbler and all of the newspapers in the UK. All Hogwarts students would be able to attend for free, while alumni and other guests would pay a minimum of a 5 Galleon donation to attend the benefit.

The night of the Benefit, Harry and the others were preparing backstage, getting terribly nervous. Neville was pacing back and forth, mumbling lyrics under his breath, while Draco kept messing with the clasp of his robe. Luna was sitting quite calmly, while Harry was putting some last touch ups on his makeup.

Colin popped his head in. "Guys, you need to get on stage."

Draco straightened his shoulders, leading the way out. They passed the Weird Sisters, who were getting their instruments ready for the show, and Celestina Warbeck, who was talking to several rather handsome men. They quickly got to their places on the stage- it was pitch black. They could hear the rumble of over 20,000 witches and wizards- an unheard of amount of people to get together outside of the Quidditch World Cup- witches and wizards from all over, even from outside the country were gathered. The people were spread all over the grounds, the equipment allowing them to hear and see the concert perfectly.

Harry took a deep, calming breath as he gripped his microphone, and began to sing softly, the light shining on him. He wore a plain black robe, his head bent down so they couldn't see his face properly. They wore robes that looked similar to Hogwarts robes. Everyone grew silent, watching expectantly.

_"The moon is silent,_

_The water is still"_

Luna joined in, the lights illuminating on her- she also wore a robe.

_The air quiet,_

_The grass grows,_

Draco and Neville both sang, the lights shining down on them, in the same robes.

_There is a forest,_

_Up on a hill,_

_A Forbidden forest,_

_And nothing seems to be there,_

Now, the Twins' tricks came in, and the stage was flooded with blue and green light, washing out over the crowd.

_Nothing but the trees,_

_Nothing but the air,_

_No nests are even there,_

_I walk through the forest,_

_Wondering why it's quiet,_

_Wishing my friends were there,_

Sparks of red and white seemed to float in the air above everyone's heads

_The trees are tall,_

_The grass green,_

_I feel so very small,_

_Because I am not alone,_

_Things are hidden every-where,_

_Beneath the grass,_

_Above the tall, tall trees_

_There is a song_

_No human can sing-_

_I can hear it,_

_Can you?_

The sparks began to form shapes, from shooting stars to flowers, to birds, and other animals. Their voices grew stronger, and they raised their faces up.

_There is a Forest,_

_A Forbidden Forest,_

_Up on a hill,_

_At first glance,_

_Nothing is there-_

_But if you look closer,_

_Take another look,_

_You'll find something more,_

_Something you'll never find in a book-_

The sparks and shapes began to dive into the crowd, zipping narrowly by people's heads, making them ooh and ahh.

_There is a Forest,_

_A Forbidden Forest,_

_Up on a hill,_

_A song sweetly sings,_

_In the clear midnight air,_

_That drives away feelings of despair,_

_And you'll find creatures hidden deep,_

_Some nice,_

_Some thrice as big as we-_

_Some that you cannot even see-_

_The Forbidden Forest,_

_Is no longer quiet,_

_I no longer feel small,_

_Because, Our home is there."_

And suddenly, all the lights went out completely- even the sparks and the lights onstage. People began to clap and cheer- and then the lights flooded the stage once more, and the four of them had their robes off.

Harry grinned at all of their astonished faces, flipping his hair over his shoulder. They should be shocked, considering what he was wearing. He was wearing Sirius' black leather jacket over a pale pink sweater, and black leather shorts- his collar fully visible, which happened rarely when they were out and about in the magical community. He had his thigh-highs on, with his boots. "Hi. I'm Kit." He grabbed the microphone, leaning against it. "I'm glad all of you could come tonight- it's for a really good cause. Thank you for coming!"

He motioned to Luna. Luna was wearing a loose grey tank top that didn't hide much, with a pair of skin tight pants and boots. "That smokin' girl is Lu. Say hello, Lu."

Luna laughed, grabbing her microphone, leaning her other arm on her guitar. "Hello Lu."

Laughter filled the crowd. "And that boy of mine is Draco" Luna waved over to Draco, who riffed on his violin, winking. He was wearing a black button down shirt that was only buttoned partially, with black slacks.

"And I'm Nev." Neville said. He was wearing a black thin tank top and jeans, showing off his svelte body. You could practically see the girls drooling over him.

"And we are FORBIDDEN!" They all yelled, and fireworks shot up into the air. They played for nearly an hour with some high powered stuff, getting everyone excited and pumped for the show. All four of them danced around, goofing off, having loads of fun. People were cheering them on, and Harry's heart soared as he could hear them chanting their names-

Harry led them offstage, bumping into the Weird Sisters, who were gawking at them. "What the hell was that?" One of them cried out.

"Music." Luna said with a smile.

"I think that's pretty darned good. Celestina, I hope you can follow them."

The singer smiled. She was a rather pretty woman- somewhere in her thirties. She had inky black hair and pale skin, with dark blue eyes. She was wearing a very revealing gown in dark red, her hair twisted and curled perfectly. "Of course I can, hon." Her voice was soft and smooth, but Harry couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not- she was hard to read. She winked at Draco, and then checked out Neville. "You both looked wonderful out there." She gave a considering look to Luna, and then eyed Harry. "Who are you?"

"I'm Kit." Harry said.

"Kit who? I've never heard of you before."

"That's because we've only really performed at Hogwarts and in the muggle world." Luna piped up.

Draco rolled his eyes. "That's Harry Potter."

The woman's jaw dropped, and she gave him a look over once more, eyes lingering on his chest, legs, and face. The Weird Sisters went forward, shaking hands thoroughly with him. The woman spoke up finally. "Well dear, you are certainly got _it._ I do hope we can do this again sometime." She said with a smirk, and sashayed onto the stage.

One of the singers from the Weird singers leant forward. "Don't pay any attention to her. She's a Diva, that's what she is."

"Of course she is, for what I'm paying for her." Draco mumbled as they could hear the fans go wild onstage.

As the night wore on, the Weird Sisters took to the stage, and for the last song of the night, they managed to bring Celestina Warbeck and Forbidden up with them. They all performed the Hogwarts Song, much to the changrin and delight of every alumni- and the crowd sang along.

It was nearly 3AM before Harry and the others managed to get into their tents that had been moved aside for the Concert. Neville peeled off his tank top, and the others were about to get undressed when someone spoke up outside their tent.

"Hey, can we come in for a bit?"

Harry and Neville exchanged a look. It was the Weird Sisters! Draco and Luna hastened to clear off the table of some schematics and plans, as well as putting out some chairs.

"Sure, come on in." Harry said, and they came in. Celestina Warbeck was with them as well, but she had changed out of her gown into a dark blue dress that looked a bit more casual. The Weird Sisters hadn't changed just yet- they looked all punked out.

"Take a seat, Would you guys like anything to drink?" Harry asked.

"Any firewhiskey?" One of the guys spoke up, sitting down. The others sat down as well, while Celestina conjured her own chair, and perched at the end of it, crossing her legs at the ankle.

"Oh, well, we haven't any." Luna said.

"No problem dear, I've got some Elf made wine right here." Celestina said, bringing out a bottle from her handbag, while the Weird Sisters crew dug out their own alcohol.

Harry poured the wine, and they all toasted for a good show. "Well, I heard that we made about 300,000 Galleons tonight for the school, isn't that fantastic?" Harry said as soon as he got over the taste of the wine.

"Yes, that's great. That should help a bit, yeah? So, how long have you guys been playing together?"

Draco spoke up. "Well, Kit and I started playing in our first year, the first time was at my parent's holiday party. Then Luna and Neville began to play the following year with us. But we really formed the band after our Fifth year. So…it's just been a couple of years."

"You play really well together. So, who is usually the Lead singer?" Celestina asked, pouring everyone some more wine.

"I am. Usually. We sometimes switch off for specific songs. At first, we took turns to see who everyone liked the most." Harry said, watching his glass fill up once more.

Celestina winked at him. "Of course, it helps that all four of you are already well known."

Harry chuckled. "Sort of. I mean, most of the public knows me as Harry Potter, but not as Kit. Unless you've gone to school with us. Kit is…"

"A stage persona." Draco cut in when he saw Harry struggling with how to explain things.

"But sometimes Kit comes out when we're not on stage." Neville said flirtatiously. Harry blushed.

"Ooh, do tell!" One of the girls squealed. "So, you and Nev are together, Kit?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. We've been together for a while now. So are Luna and Draco."

"Aw, how sweet. How long?" Celestina asked.

Harry and Neville exchanged a look. "Well…second year? So about five years or so."

"Wow. I don't think I've ever had a boyfriend that long." One of them mumbled.

Luna giggled. "Well, it's hard sometimes, you know, because Draco and Neville are so handsome- but Kit and I manage."

"It helps that you're pretty cute too." Draco said huskily, wrapping his arms around her. Luna giggled, and Harry felt a little fuzzy around the edges- he thought he might be a bit tipsy. They had only ever drank once before, and that had been a couple of years ago.

Neville pulled him into his lap. "So, how long have you guys been playing?" Harry motioned to the Weird sisters.

"About…twenty years or so? Merlin, I feel old. You kids weren't even born yet."

"We're all big fans." Harry said, wrapping his arms around Neville's neck. "We loved it when you guys played at Hogwarts. We had so much fun!"

Draco nodded. "That was a fun night." He smirked at Luna, who blushed. They began to kiss, and it started to get pretty heated.

Neville spoke up, interrupting the stares. "Well, it's getting pretty late. We have things to do in the morning. It was great working with all of you." He said, pushing Harry out of his lap, shaking everyone's hands.

Everyone was a bit giggly and tipsy as they left. It didn't take long for the four of them to dive under the covers, giggling and groping until they fell asleep.

Harry frowned, staring at his transfiguration notes. They were covering something he'd studied over a year ago. Why was he here? He glanced out of the tent, seeing the Headmaster and the Minister of Magic walk by, talking seriously. The wizarding community was still debating whether to rebuild elsewhere, and whether it should be another 'Hogwarts'. He wished he could be right along with them, in these discussions.

"Mr. Potter?"

Harry looked up to see McGonagall looking at him. "Yes ma'am?"

She glanced down at his notes, and then at him. "Are you quite alright? You've been looking at that same page for fifteen minutes now."

Harry blinked down at the page. "Oh." He glanced out onto the grounds. Many people were gone now- only the students were there for their classes. "I can't…concentrate."

She sighed. "I know it's hard." She looked thoughtful, glancing around at the other seventh years who were studying, or trying to study. They had a test next class, and Harry knew he would ace it. It just seemed like he was…wasting his time by being here. He had other things to do.

"Follow me. You can leave your things here." Harry glanced to Neville, who gave him a slight nod. Harry got up from his seat, and followed the Deputy Headmistress out of the tent. They began to walk. All of the 'Classroom' tents were set up side by side- each of them were filled with students and their respective professors. All of the students were dressed rather casually, as no one had uniforms.

McGonagall spoke, putting her hands behind her back as they walked past the Charms tent. "Mr. Potter, I get the impression that you are bored."

Harry bit his lip. "I'm sorry." He blurted. "It's not you-"

She gave him a small smile. "I know." She looked over the grounds consideringly. "With everything that's been happening, I know you have much to worry about and much to work on. You're bored with the classwork, as you aren't learning anything new, am I correct?"

Harry blushed. "Yes ma'am. I…I learnt what we are having a test on today over a year ago."

She gave him a slight nod. "I understand that you and your friends studied quite a bit ahead because of the war. Now that…He's gone, what do you plan to do?"

Harry fidgeted, and stopped walked. "Ma'am…to be honest, we don't want Hogwarts to be rebuilt."

She stared at him. "But…you love Hogwarts! You always have!"

Harry shook his head. "Maybe nostalgic, but I didn't love the school. It's a building. What I loved about it the most though, was everyone that I met there. Ma'am, I've been trying to tell everyone…we can't recreate Hogwarts. Not as it was. We just can't. None of us are the Four Founders. We couldn't _possibly_ recreate what they did."

McGonagall sighed, looking down slightly. "I know. Part of me…wishes that we could, but I know realistically that it's impossible." She met his eyes, looking shrewd. "Yet you are all for making a new school here."

"Well, yes. It's a good area. If we leave, Hogsmeade loses their business. And…I don't want to leave the forest."

The Professor glanced to the Forest. "Harry…I must say, that day, when you came out of the Forest, with…all those creatures behind you, I thought I'd been dreaming or hallucinating."

Harry stared at her.

She went on quietly. "But now that I've…thought about it these past few weeks, I can see how you were able to defeat Him. From your first year, I thought that you were quite special." She gave him a small smile. "Not just because of what your name is, or what you have done over the years, but…just…something that told me that you were destined to do great things."

Harry opened his mouth, but she shook her head. "More than defeating Him, Harry. You must realize that you are still young. That you have a long life ahead of you- so what are you going to do with it?"

"Um…" Harry bit his lip. "I do have plans, but I can't really do them right now."

"You're bored. Why are you still here?"

Harry stared at her. "What? But-"

"You and your friends are more than able to earn your NEWTS right now if you so wished. All you would have to do is get the paperwork and a recommendation."

Harry's jaw dropped.

"Kit, you're a good student. I know you'll keep learning all of your life. That's just what you do. I know you want to change things- make the most of this mess. You can't do that by being stuck in a classroom."

First, Harry was surprised that McGonagall had called him Kit. None of his Professors had ever called him that before. Secondly…she was saying it was okay to _drop out_ of Hogwarts?

"You want me to drop out?"

She chuckled, winding an arm through his. He realized to his dismay that he was an inch shorter than her. Still. "No dear. I'm saying you should test ahead for your examinations. Right now, the Ministry is offering it for free, in light of the situation. Several other students are planning on doing just that this year."

"Oh."

They walked a bit more.

"I want to travel." Harry blurted.

"I would too, if I were your age."

Harry gave her a slight smile. "I don't think the Headmaster will be happy. He seems to like to watch over me."

"Well, Albus has always had a habit of keeping a close eye on those he…" She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. You're of age. You have a man that loves you very much, and friends that care about you. We just want you to be happy. You're not very happy here, are you?"

"Well, I…"

"You are happy there-" She motioned to the Forest. "And you are happy learning on your own. You are happy trying something new. You are happy being with your friends." She gave him a Mock-stern look. "I'm not telling you to leave- I'm insisting. Bored children are troublemakers- I ought to know."

Harry gave her a slight smile. "Oh?"

She squeezed his arm. "I taught your Father, didn't I?" She sighed, looking over where the Castle once stood. "Harry, just promise me that you'll never do something just because you can."

Harry furrowed his brow. "I don't understand."

McGonagall sighed. "He…Tom destroyed Hogwarts. Why? He was a student here too, you know, and from what I knew about him, he loved this school just as much as anyone else. So…why would he risk destroying something he loved?"

"Because he was Mad?"

She nodded slightly. "But also because he _could_. The difference between you and other powerful wizards is not your age, or the House you were sorted into, but…the way that you use your magic and how you use other people. You don't use them for your own gain. You don't use your magic just to show off or frighten other people into doing what you want them to do."

"I use it to help others." Harry said quietly.

"Right." She looked to the Headmaster and the Minister, who were standing on the Lake of the Shore some ways away. "You see, the Headmaster helps others too, but he does it in a very different way." She looked at him with a steely look. "You and I both know how he 'helps'. I hope you remember that if you are ever in his position." She ended sharply.

"Um…yes ma'am."

"Minerva, dear."

"Oh." Harry mumbled. They ambled back towards the classroom tents.

"So, once you pass your NEWTS with flying colors, what are your plans?"

"Um…traveling, research. And maybe doing a bit more with the band."

She gave him a slight nod. "I do hope you'll at least check in."

"I can't believe she said that." Draco said, sipping his tea.

"I know. But…it makes sense. What are we doing here? We know all the stuff that they're teaching us- the only way we'd learn something new was if we had private lessons like we used to, but none of them have the time." Harry said, ruffling his bangs.

Neville leant over, straightening them out. "You're right. So…we're going to take our NEWTS, and then what?"

"Dunno." Harry said, shrugging.

* * *

Harry sighed, glancing at the clock on the wall. They were at a Ministry function, particularly an award ceremony for those who were given the Order of Merlin. Harry and his friends had all received the award, First Class, and many of the Order had received awards as well. Dumbledore received a special award, for his contribution to the war.

Harry didn't care much for everything- the reporters were milling about, their cameras flashing. Harry sipped his drink, watching Draco and Luna talking to some Ministry officials. Neville was talking to several Herbologists.

In addition to getting his award, Harry had been nominated as a ICW Junior Ambassador. Dumbledore had been the last wizard to have that position, and it was a great honor. Harry wanted to turn it down, frankly, but his friends told him that it would be considered rude to do so. So he accepted.

It was really just another title, mostly for the papers to talk about, and the Ministry to feel good about something. Harry didn't care much. However, one good thing about the title was that he was expected to travel and visit Foreign Ministries, something he was already planning on doing.

The last few weeks had been filled with hectic meetings, studying, and exams- they had completed their NEWTS. Susan and Daphne, along with Hermione, had done as well. Susan and Daphne wanted to move to the muggle world, to London, as soon as they got a bit of money. The two girls were looking for jobs now, as was Hermione.

Remus approached him, giving Harry a small smile, and raising his glass of champagne slightly in greeting. Harry returned the smile. "Hi Remmy."

The werewolf drank his champagne. "Harry. The Ministry really sprung for this party, didn't they?"

Harry chuckled. "Yeah. You'd think they would spend their money on more important things."

Remus chuckled, waving slightly to Tonks, who was standing next to Shacklebolt. "Anyways, I've got a date with Tonks next week."

"Oh?" Harry raised a brow. "When did this happen?"

Remus sipped some more champagne, looking nostalgic. "Make the most of this time. Travel and do all sorts of things before you get too old."

Harry made a face at him. "You aren't old, Remmy."

Remus shrugged. "I feel like it sometimes." He gave a slight nod to Harry. "I'll go see what Tonks is up to."

Harry watched the man go, finger playing with the edge of his glass. Neville sidled up to him. "Hey."

"Remus and Tonks are going out." Harry said with a relish. "I think they'll be good for each other."

Neville laughed, wrapping his arm around Harry's waist. "C'mon Kit, I want to introduce you to some people."

* * *

Yay! You like? I hope you do...

So, where will the foursome go from here? Will they travel to exotic locale? Or will they be burdened with their responsibilities? Will anyone ever find out the true nature of their relationship? All that and more will be answered in the upcoming chapters! Please review, I will give you lots of cookies and brownies.

I really, really appreciate everyone who waited so patiently for this story to come out! I hope to update weekly, more, if I'm inspired enough. (hint, hint.)

Lots of love and spankings, Hecateslover


	2. A Proper Holiday, sort of

Chapter Two

Harry watched the waves undulate on the sea from his cabin room window. Neville had had the bright idea of taking a muggle cruise ship to America, saying that they needed a proper holiday.

Harry had been sea-sick the entire time. It seemed, as a general rule, that most modes of transportation did not agree with Harry, magical or otherwise. Harry made a face at the sight of the rolling waves, and turned his back to the window.

It was just him and Neville that were on holiday- Luna and Draco had stayed behind in the UK to take care of things. They both were staying at Draco's manor, which was quite the scandal once the papers found out- they were now full of speculations of when the couple was going to marry. As a retaliation, Draco was going to buy Witch Weekly out. That seemed to be the boy's answers to most of their problems, nowadays.

Draco and Luna had no inclination to marry anytime soon- there was enough to be done. Harry and Neville had left, to start their trip abroad. They would start in the US, as the US had a number of magical schools. Harry was also serving as the 'ICW Ambassador', so he was prepared for a bunch of political crap to be coming his way in the very near future.

Sometimes he wished he could be just like any other muggle. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He heard the shower turn off in the loo.

"These little soaps that they have in here are shaped like sea shells- isn't that odd?" Neville called out from the loo.

Harry stifled a smile, watching the boy come out of the loo, drying himself off. He gave his boyfriend a once-over. He recognized the look on Neville's face, and his hand tightened on his dressing robe.

"Neville, don't you dare- we can't be late for dinner again, you know how those Dining room people are." Harry said, getting up from the bed quickly. He darted around the boy, but was caught.

"Oh, I was only going to kiss you." Neville breathed, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy from behind.

Harry's breath hitched as Neville kissed the nape of his neck. "Uh huh…that's what you always say…kissing leads to snogging, snogging leads to groping, and groping…uhm…" A hand slid into his dressing robe, and he wriggled a bit. "Hey…not nice." He mumbled, voice dropping.

"Oh? It's not?"

"Nev-stop, we have to go to dinner…please…." He whined, and Neville sighed, and pulled away.

"I guess you're right. I'll get dressed. You better get dressed too."

As they sat down at their table, they were seated with the family from the previous evening- they hadn't really talked much to Harry and Neville, as they were too busy talking about going to see Disney World in Florida.

Tonight, however, Harry noted that their older daughter was glancing his way as he buttered his bread. Her eyes caught his, and she blushed.

"I like your hair." She squeaked.

Harry smiled. "Thanks."

The Mother and Father exchanged a slight glance, which was noticed by Harry and Neville. "I'm Wendy, and this is my husband Greg, and this is Jessica, Daniel, and Louise." She motioned to her three kids.

Neville grinned. "I'm Neville, and this is Kit." He motioned to Harry.

"So…are you guys here by yourselves?" Daniel asked. " 'Cos we haven't seen your parents, and families are always sat together-"

Harry blushed, and Neville spoke up, putting his arm on the back of Harry's chair. "Actually, we are. Our parents are dead."

"Oh, how terrible. I'm so sorry." Wendy said.

Harry spoke up. "It's okay. Mine died when I was just a baby, so I-"

"Wait, you aren't brother and sister?" Jessica asked.

Harry and Neville burst into laughter right away, making several of the waiters and restaurant goers glance their way.

"No! We're together." Neville said with a grin, squeezing Harry's shoulder.

Wendy and Greg gave them an appraising look. Jessica looked at them curiously.

* * *

That night, Neville dragged Harry to Karaoke. It was for the teen-age group, since the adult karaoke was likely to just have a whole bunch of drunk people there. Jessica and Daniel, who were old enough to be in the teen group, were sitting awkwardly off to the side along with the rest of the teenagers. Harry and Neville were curled up on a couch, watching a group of giggling girls up on the platform, singing an off key rendition of _"My Heart Will Go On" _

Neville lent over. "Let's show 'em how it's done."

"Neville…I can't, I'm not feeling well…"

"You love to sing, it'll make you feel better, I promise…" Neville said, taking Harry's hand and dragging him to the DJ's booth. The two of them chose a song, and Harry finally agreed to _Boombastic_ By Shaggy. Neville had insisted that they choose a fun song- it looked as though some of the kids were half asleep.

The two of them waited offstage for the girls to finish their…song. Harry unbuttoned his jacket from dinner, while Neville shed his and draped it over a railing. They exchanged a look as they were handed microphones, and went up on stage.

Harry started off first, waving his arm up to get people up and moving, Neville copying him. The teenagers looked slightly bewildered, and a little bit more awake. As the song went on, Harry stopped mid-stage, and put his hand on his hip and started to dance, getting into it. People were soon clapping and cheering along, and Harry felt better than he had in a while…maybe Neville had been right. Singing was just what he needed!

By the end of the night, they'd sung a few more songs, and some of the other teenagers had gotten up the courage to go up on stage too. Harry finished off the night with a song from Deelite_- Groove Is In the Heart_. He'd sequestered a mike stand, and was belting into it, dancing like mad. By that time, some of the adults had wandered in, since their Karaoke time was after the teen's time. His voice was raw as he finished the last stanza, and they asked for more. With a slight smile, he gave it to them.

The following morning, Harry was doing some laps around the lido deck, feeling loads better. Neville was keeping pace with him, and they were talking about the night before. Some people they'd seen the night before waved to them. They both waved back, ignoring their curious looks- Harry was wearing a pair of muggle sweatpants and a jacket, and it didn't do too much to hide his lack of curves.

On and off, all day, teenagers were grinning at them, waving at them- it was a bit weird. At dinner, Jessica looked very excited as they sat down. "Are you guys in a band?"

Harry picked up his menu, thanking the waiter with a small grin playing at his lips. Neville was chuckling, trying not to notice how Wendy rolled her eyes at her daughter.

"Uh, actually, we are. We're not big or anything." Harry said.

"Yet." Neville said with a relish.

Harry rolled his eyes. "We're much too busy right now to be dealing with that-"

"Are you guys going to Uni or something?" Jessica asked.

Neville spoke up. "Actually, we're going to the US to look at some schools. We finished school early."

"Wow…so you're like, really smart then!" Jessica enthused.

Both Harry and Neville shrugged.

"Now really, Jess, stop pestering-"

"What's the name of your band?" Jessica asked.

"_Forbidden_. We played at the Blackbox in London, usually during the holidays-"

"No way! My friend Kim saw you guys last summer!"

"How on earth did Kim get into a club? She's only fifteen!" Wendy gasped.

Jessica blushed immediately, realizing she'd ratted her friend out.

"We're seventeen." Harry and Neville said in unison. They glanced at each other, grinning.

"Really? But…but you're so, so…grown up!" Jessica exclaimed, her hands narrowly missing the waiter as he refilled their glasses.

Harry fiddled with his fork, eyes dropping to his plate. Neville coughed. Yeah, they were a bit more mature than most people their age…they kind of had to be, considering everything they'd gone through. Their food arrived, and dinner was a bit awkward.

That evening, Harry and Neville walked into the ice cream parlor, hand in hand, when they saw the Teen group all sitting together with their counselors. One of the counselors waved them over, grinning madly.

From the beginning of the cruise, they had been trying to avoid these counselors- they were just a bit _too_ happy. And nosy.

"Kit, right?"

Harry nodded, and Neville started to put their sundaes together.

"So, is that short for something? Katie, or Catherine?" The girl asked brightly.

Harry blushed. "It's just…Kit." Neville chuckled under his breath.

"We're all going to head up to the pool deck later on, you two want to join us?"

Neville glanced at Harry. "Uhm…no, that's okay. We already had plans."

Some of the boys in the group snickered at this. "He thinks he's gonna get shagged…" One of them whispered. Harry caught it, and frowned.

"Oh, come on, don't be spoil sports, if you don't want to swim, you don't have to!" One of the counselors said, frowning at the boys.

"Um…Kit?" Harry shrugged, taking his ice cream from Neville.

"If you want to, that's fine, Nev."

Two hours later, they headed to the pool. Harry was wearing what he'd worn earlier that evening, while Neville had changed into some swim trunks and a tank top. As they came on deck, some of the girls practically salivated as he took of his shirt.

Harry sat on one of the lounge chairs, watching the other teenagers splash about in the pool. Neville gave him a kiss on the top of his head, and headed over to the pool. Harry laced his fingers together, watching them. His lips dropped into a frown as Neville jumped into the pool.

He watched for a while, and a few girls approached him, and sat across from him on the lounge chair next to him.

"Hi! So, um, aren't you going to swim?"

Harry glanced at their cute bikinis and bared skin, and looked back down at his lap, thinking of his male-ness and his scars. "No. I um…don't really swim."

"Go grab your suit, we could teach you, it's not that hard…"

Harry shook his head, thinking of another time, back at Hogwarts-

"It's okay…"

One of the girls glanced over to Neville, and giggled. "Do you want your boyfriend to teach you? I bet he'd do it."

Harry fidgeted. "Yeah….he would. I just…um, don't feel comfortable, with everyone here."

"Oh! You're so pretty, though, you don't have to worry about that-"

Harry stood. "I'm going to go for a walk." He left the girls behind, and glanced back at Neville who was talking to some boys.

Apparently there was a talent show. Jessica had shoved an application in front of their faces at dinner one night.

"You should totally do it! The deadline is tonight, and the show will be on the last night of the cruise, c'mon, you would be totally wicked!"

Harry took the application, if only to shut her up. People were staring again. Harry and Neville looked over the application. Besides the basics- Name, ect. There was a section to write in what talent they wanted to do, how much time they would need, and if anything was needed. There was also a list of prizes- The Grand prize was $100, First runner up was $50, and the other prizes were cards for the gift shop. There were also separate prizes for kids, ages 12 and under. Harry and Neville exchanged a glance. Why not?

Harry stood on the stage next to the other talent contest hopefuls, watching the Entertainment crew bustle about, getting things ready for rehearsal. Well, if you could call it that. They had a limited amount of time to practice, and they were given a limited amount of music they could do- they didn't want to offend anyone, nor did they want the show to be boring, either. Harry chose a B-52's song, while Neville chose a Janet Jackson song (surprisingly). Harry and Neville thought they would have a better chance of winning a prize if they performed separately. They were going to sing, for the first time, by themselves, in front of an audience. Harry was dreadfully nervous.

The night arrived, and the first act was an older woman who was singing a Mariah Carey song. She was pretty good, and it was clear to Harry that she was classically trained. Neville squeezed his shoulder, wishing him luck as he headed out for his own performance.

Neville had chosen Janet Jackson's _Control_, but had totally revamped it. It was slow, and Merlin, his voice was like velvet…it made his toes curl up in his shoes. He could hear some whistles and catcalls from the audience, and Harry could see why- Neville looked oh so hot in his leather pants and black t-shirt.

He was totally going to lose.

One of the girls that was standing next to him spoke up. "You're so lucky! He's so cute! How long have you guys been together?"

"About five years." Harry mumbled, still staring at his boyfriend.

"Wow, really? You guys don't look that old."

"We got together when we were twelve." Harry blushed. He fiddled with his guitar a bit.

The girl seemed to squeal a bit as Neville gyrated his hips, crooning into the microphone. Harry's eyes went round. As he finished off the song, he practically stalked off the stage, and headed straight for Harry. Harry had barely enough time to hand his guitar off to the girl before Neville pushed him up against the wall and snogged him.

The girl coughed, and Harry was brought back to the present. The next contestant was already on stage, a comedian (of sorts). The girl was blushing as she shoved Harry's guitar back into his arms.

"Uh…thanks." Harry said. He turned to Neville. "You were pretty good, Nev."

Neville just gave him a grin, and pinched his bottom. After another singer went on, it was Harry's turn.

Neville was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, as he watched Harry begin to perform. People knew the song right away, and they began to clap along.

"Oh, I know this song!" The girl next to him said brightly. "This is that _Love Shack_ song!"

Neville nodded, watching Harry saunter around the stage, swinging his hips in time to the music. His hair was down, and he was wearing an oversized dark red sweater, his black shorts, and black opaque tights with his boots.

"Wow…she's really good!"

Neville grunted in agreement, watching Harry belt out the chorus- people were joining in now. He was still in awe sometimes how music could transform a crowd- good music, that is.

Harry let out a riff on his guitar, and the singing dropped off as people stared. The boy bowed his head, hair hanging down as his fingers flew over the frets- Neville knew that he was going to fuck Harry the soonest chance he got tonight- he grinned as Harry threw his head back, hair flying, black and dark red shining in the stage lights… beautiful.

He sang the next stanza, and people picked up where'd they left off, and he shook his bum to the beat- and the music seemed to get louder, and louder- Neville moved forward slightly, grinning like mad. Harry was going to win, he just knew it. Harry winked at him as he caught his eye, and Neville chuckled.

"You're both really good…are you guys professional?"

"We're in a band. Kit's the lead singer. We're not really…professional, but we've played at a couple of places."

"Well, you should totally go pro, hey, I think they record this show for the videos they sell to everyone at the end of the cruise, isn't that cool? You'll both be on everyone's videos!"

Neville's eyes went round. "Well, um…they probably wouldn't know who we were anyways."

There was a loud burst of applause, and Harry practically ran off stage right, and glomped Neville.

"Bloody hell, did you see that Nev, that was just-"

"It was amazing. You were amazing, Kit." Neville said, hugging the boy gingerly, mindful of the guitar.

"You were good too."

"I bet you'll win." The girl said, staring at Harry with bright eyes. "They liked Neville too, but they liked your song better- and you were so wicked on that guitar!"

There were a couple more contestants to go, and finally, the Entertainment Director stood on stage, holding an envelope.

"Well, our judges have spoken…." She paused dramatically, opening the envelope. "And the winner is…Kit Potter!"

Harry was pushed out onto the stage by Neville, and Harry gave a slight smile to the woman as she handed over the check.

"There you go! Congratulations, Kit, on your excellent performance!"

Harry stared at the check in his hands. Damn. Would he be able to even cash it?

* * *

Meanwhile, Draco's face was buried in his hands as he sat in his bed. It was in the middle of the night, and the Manor was silent. Luna was the only person in the house besides himself, and she was fast asleep. They were sleeping in the room he grew up in- he didn't dare go into his parent's rooms.

Right now, he could only think about his Mother…and his Father. It had been different, when he'd been at the Manor before- he'd never lingered long enough to think about being alone at the house. He wasn't really alone, but it…felt like it. He lifted his head slightly to look at Luna. She looked so beautiful…so peaceful. How could she stand it? How could she stand being alive when the rest of her family was dead? He just…didn't understand.

Yeah, his Father had been a bastard, but once upon a time, Draco had looked up to the man. To know that there were also two infants killed in all this mess really messed Draco up. His Mother and Father were buried in the family grounds, their infants right next to them. He'd never seen the graves, but he knew that they were there. He didn't want to see them.

He bowed his head, gripping his hands tightly, trying to keep from making a sound as tears slipped from his eyes. Part of him wished he'd been able to go with Harry and Neville on their trip, but he had things here he needed to do.

He wiped his face, and laid back down. Luna curled up against him in her sleep with a sigh. He ran a hand through her hair, still feeling out of sorts. Soon….soon, Harry and Neville would come back, and they'd get to go on their own trip. Maybe he and Luna would get to go to China- she'd always wanted to go there, and he would certainly never say no.

He stared at the ceiling, eyes tracing the patterns of shadows that were cast from the window. This place reminded him of so...many things. His mother would kill him if he destroyed it- this land had been in their family for over a thousand years. This was the room he'd grown up in, this house was where he learnt to play the piano, where he had his lessons, where...there were good memories to this place, he realized. Not many, but there were some. He rolled over to face Luna. Maybe he could make some more. A small smile played on his face.

* * *

Harry and Neville followed Mike and Sam through the hallways of Salem Magical Institute, taking in everything with excited eyes. The building looked like any other muggle school, completely blending in with the rest of the buildings on the street. The two Americans were explaining what classes were taught there, and the levels. They went upstairs, and stopped in front of a classroom.

"This is the lab- my pride and joy!" Mike said excitedly. Sam rolled his eyes.

"We do have some projects we've been working on that you guys will love." He said, opening the door. The four of them went inside, and watched a number of students working on a number of projects at separate tables.

"Mike and I made this lab a few years back, with the approval of the staff, of course. They've even added it to the class schedule as an elective. This class goes hand in hand with what you're trying to do, Harry- modernize the magical world."

Harry grinned, seeing a kid working on a computer motherboard. "This is so cool!"

"Yeah, well, now there's another lab in San Francisco, the copy cats. Now that we have you two here, we were thinking you could help us out." Mike said.

Harry looked as though he was about to jump in and work on something right there, but Neville held him back. "You know we have alot to do- we aren't even supposed to be here- the ICW made a schedule for us-"

"Which we're not going to follow! Nev, please, please, let me just-"

"Kit-" Neville warned.

Harry pouted, looking longingly at the gadgets on the tables. Some of the kids glanced curiously their way. Sam introduced them.

"Kids, this is Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom-" Many of the students gasped, and some of them stood, ready to shake their hands.

Sam fixed them with a look, making many of them hesitate. "They're here to take a look at what we've done so far. They have a limited amount of time to be here with us today, so please don't pester them."

Harry approached one of the kids, who was taking apart a cell phone. The girl glanced up at him nervously. "Uh...hello."

Harry smiled. "Hi. What are you working on?"

"Um...cell phones don't normally work because of magical interference, but I wanted to see if I could get one to do it anyways."

Harry looked at the bits of plastic and metal that were scattered on the table. It was a good idea. A magical cell phone would definitely cut out the need for floo calls, which were messy and inconvenient- and you had to make sure there was a fireplace close by. "Well, the best way to do that is to work_ with_ the magical interference, instead of against it. Have it run on magic, instead of electricity. Amplify its magical radius by introducing some magical wood, or other materials."

The girl stared at him, and Mike clapped him on the shoulder. "Harry, you should really write a book about all this. For this class, our textbooks are muggle books, rune books, and material books, but we don't have anything to combine the three. You'd be the best person to write it, since you're the one who started it all."

"Well...I learnt almost everything through trial and error, or from Hagrid." Harry said, feeling a bit surprised. He hadn't really started all this... this was Mike and Sam's work. Why would they think it was his idea?

"Hagrid?" Mike asked.

Sam spoke up. "A half-giant that is the groundskeeper at the school. How is everyone, by the way?"

Neville wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulders. "Well, the classes are being held in tents, and everyone...seems to be doing okay. We tested out early, but you already know that."

"Yeah, it was reported in the papers here too. So, where you two headed next?"

"D.C. To go visit your Father. We'll be staying the night there, and then we're going to go to Providence for a few days, then New York for a week. Then we'll go on to Chicago, St. Louis, Baton Rouge, Santa Fe, and Berkeley. I guess we'll go to San Francisco too, to go see that lab you're on about." Harry added with a relish.

Mike gave him a mock glare. "Well, Dad's gonna be a bit busy- there might be a lot of reporters about- this is an election year, you know."

Harry made a slight face. "Your Dad is too cool to be a politician."

* * *

Luna put her hands on her hips, staring down Scrimengour and the other Aurors. The Headmaster, McGonagall, and Snape stood right next to them. "This Forest is a sanctuary deemed by Helga Hufflepuff herself. If you enter this forest, you will be violating Code 21.7 of the Magical Species Protection Act." She said coldly.

"Miss Lovegood, be reasonable, we have reason to believe that there are valuable resources within the Forest that will help fund the new school-"

"No." Luna said. There were plenty of valuable resources within the forest, but she knew that the Ministry would ravage that forest, without a care of the creatures within it. She couldn't let them inside- at all.

"I'm sure Draco would understand- this is just a business proposition, no one person owns this forest-"

"Hogwarts owns this land, and this forest. The Ministry does not own this land or forest. It cannot be sold, nor can any of the resources here." Luna cut in. There was a reason why Draco wasn't here- he was in Diagon Alley, trying to buy out the Witch Weekly offices. Draco was very good at business, and the heart, but Luna knew it would be easier for her to stand up to the Minister than he- after all, her family didn't have the history that could be used against her. There was a rustling in the trees behind her. Some of the Aurors looked a bit nervous. Who knew what was there?

"Miss Lovegood-"

Firenze came out of the trees, and many of the Aurors' wands snapped to large palomino that was looking at them calmly, the bright red feathers braided into his hair was blowing slightly in the cold wind. He had his bow and arrows strapped to his back, and with his head held high, like any other warrior would.

Firenze looked at all of them calmly. "Miss Luna speaks the truth. Helga Hufflepuff made this land a sanctuary. If you break your honor, the citizens of the forest will break their peace. We have done our part to clear the lands, and provide the space for the students to learn, but now that the school is no longer here, you have no reason to be here, humans."

Dumbledore stared at Firenze. "But your clan has been peaceful for quite some time, I thought we came to an agreement, Firenze-"

"No more, Dumbledore. Leave. Now. You are trespassing."

Scrimengour led the way out, fuming. Dumbledore looked at Luna. "Miss Lovegood, how are we to rebuild the school if you and your friends stop us at every turn?"

"We did more than our share of helping sir." Luna said quietly. "We organized the concert, we donated money. You just can't build here, that's all."

McGonagall escorted the Headmaster out, Snape following them after giving a lingering glance to the girl.

* * *

Harry wiped his mouth politely with the cloth napkin. Adam Smith was sipping some wine, talking to the American ICW ambassador. Neville was at his side, just having finished his soup.

"It's very good." Neville said. Harry gave him a small smile. The two of them were out of their element, at such a formal event. They were dressed in formal robes, and Harry's hair was braided back, his nail polish and makeup gone. He felt like a completely different person now, without it. The ambassador turned to them.

"So, Mr. Potter, what do you think of Washington D.C so far?"

"Uhm...it's okay. I've been here before. I quite liked Salem Magical Institute- that's the second time I've visited there, and I saw Mike and Sam's workshop, isn't it fantastic?" Harry asked the President.

Adam nodded. "Yes, it is. Actually, that is something we wanted to talk to you about. Mr. Potter, how would you like a job here, with our Ministry?"

Harry stared at the man. "What?"

"Well, who better to bring the magical community into the modern era than someone who started it all?"

Harry glanced at Neville. "Well...I...I'm honored, sir, but I have much to do, I don't think I could possibly..."

Adam just gave him a small smile. "Still on about that band business?"

Harry blushed. "Er, yes sir. I mean, there's much I need to do back home too, I couldn't leave the UK permanently-"

"You wouldn't have to. Just use the international floo, I could get you a pass-"

"Thank you, but no." Harry cut the man off. "I'm quite happy in the UK at the moment. I'm only traveling to look at the schools abroad."

"Are you interested in continuing your education here in the U.S, Mr. Potter?" The ambassador asked.

"Uhm...well, I'm not sure." Harry said. "I've still got quite of number of places to look at- and not all of them are here in the U.S. This is...just for research purposes, right now."

Adam furrowed his brow. "Research purposes?"

Neville spoke up. "As you know, Headmaster Dumbledore and the Ministry have decided to rebuild Hogwarts in Bristol. We, myself and Harry, along with Draco Malfoy and Luna Lovegood, believe that rebuilding Hogwarts as it once was would be impossible. We want to look at the other options."

Harry squeezed Neville's hand. They didn't want to come out and say to everyone that they wanted to build an entirely new school- that would just be a bad idea.

The Ambassador looked thoughtful. "Well, if you are going to be focused on our Educational system here in the U.S, I'm sure I could provide you with a thorough tour of our schools. Will Miss Lovegood and Mr. Malfoy accompany you?"

Harry and Neville shook their heads in unison. "They're back home, attending to their own business. When we come back from our trip here in the U.S, they will go abroad elsewhere to check out more schools." Harry said.

Adam scrutinized Harry, and then changed the subject. "So, what did you think of the lab?"

* * *

Karaoke Song! _Groove Is In The Heart_- Deelite-

youtube/watch?v=C4D1HSL7P98&NR=1

Neville's song: Janet Jackson's Control, on youtube- the link won't upload properly.

Just…um…imagine it that it's sung by a guy, and slow and sultry. Exclude the intro. :3

Harry's song: youtube/watch?v=leohcvmf8kM

Yay, one of my favorites. Harry's dancing his bum off to this high energy song! XD


	3. Interpretations, Munches, and Meetings

Woot! I can't believe how many hits I've gotten already! Loved the reviews, keep it up! Thank you guys for reading, I always appreciate it. Hope you like this chappie.

Chapter Three

* * *

Harry squirmed underneath Neville as the boy's grip tightened on his arms. Currently, his arms were behind his back, sandwiched in-between himself and Neville's chest. Neville's other hand was around his neck, and holding him in a vise like grip. Harry could feel the boy thrusting into him, and it felt amazing. Harry groaned, and shifted his hips back, thrusting back into the other boy.

The grip tightened on his wrists and throat and his air was cut off. He felt warm all over, and he got even harder, if that was possible. He closed his eyes, breath coming in short gasps, trying to take it all in- then, his eyes opened as he realized Neville wasn't letting go- he couldn't breathe!

Harry tried to pull away from the boy's hand, because he couldn't voice that he was choking- he couldn't turn his head either. Finally, his leg kicked Neville's in a noticeable way, and the boy let go in surprise. His breath came back in a rush, and Neville pulled away, watching Harry gasp for breath, watching him in growing horror.

"Merlin, I'm so sorry Harry, I didn't realize I was holding you so tight-"

Harry coughed, turning over onto his back, chest heaving as he breathed in oxygen. His head was starting to hurt, and he knew he'd probably have bruises on his wrists tomorrow. He shook his head faintly. "We…" He started, voice faint. "We have to be careful. If…if you could have seen my face…maybe…maybe you would have known- I couldn't even talk and tell you…" He wheezed.

"I'm so sorry." Neville said guiltily, bringing his hands to his face. "Did I hurt you? Will you be okay? If…If you never want to do that again, I wouldn't blame you-"

"No…it was okay, at first…I kind of liked it, but…but maybe next time we face each other? And…not so hard?" Harry asked quietly. Neville curled up next to him, looking at him incredulously.

"Are you sure? You can tell me no, you know."

Harry nuzzled his neck, running his hand up and down the boy's chest. "Yes. I know. I want to try it again. But…maybe not tonight? I…um, might have some bruises tomorrow."

"I'm sorry." Neville whispered into his hair. "I don't know why I like this. I don't…understand, really. I feel good, but at the same time, it's scary…how could you be okay with this?"

Harry just gave him a slight shrug. "I don't know. It feels right, I guess. Yeah, it was a bit scary, but you let go as soon as you could tell something was wrong, right?"

"Yeah…of course."

"That's why I trust you." Harry whispered, kissing the boy's cheek. "I love you, Nev."

Neville buried his face in Harry's hair, holding him tight around the middle. "I love you." He pulled away slightly. "This is mad. What sort of normal couple does this anyways?"

Harry gave him a slight smile. "Us, apparently. You like it, I like it…it's not a big deal. We just…have to be careful, that's all."

They kissed languidly as the sun rose. It was their third night in Providence, and they'd been having sex all night- something they didn't do too often. Harry sat up with a sigh, stretching.

"I don't know about you, but I need to take a shower. We do have breakfast with the Dean from Brown." Neville helped him up, and the two of them kipped to the shower together.

Neville watched Harry soap his chest, wondering how he'd gotten to be so lucky. Who knew, in their first year, when he'd laid eyes on that boy in the Hogwarts Express, that that same boy would be his lover seven years later? He sighed, feeling Harry's hands dip down to his hips.

Their eyes met, and Harry gave him the smallest of smiles. Gorgeous. Harry knelt down in front of him, washing his legs. Neville watched him, lost in thought. He'd always liked the sight of Harry kneeling at his feet- it usually happened when Harry was performing fellatio, but this was nice too.

He ran a hand through the boy's wet hair, and Harry rested his head on Neville's thigh, hand stopping its course. They stayed like that for several moments. Neville could only think about how…strong Harry was for being able to do what he did. So brave. What was the word…submission. Yes, Harry submitted to Neville, but Neville didn't know anyone stronger or braver than his lover. Neville wanted to take care of him, and make sure that this boy was…safe. They had to be careful.

When they did stuff, he was a bit rough, okay, more than a bit, but Harry never seemed to have a problem with it. But…Neville knew that there was a point to go to, right? What else could they do? Could they push it further?

He felt Harry's head shift against his thigh, and he looked down. Harry was looking up at him thoughtfully.

"Okay, straighten up Kit, it's my turn to wash you."

* * *

Luna squeed as she held up some satin fabric. "This is perfect!"

Draco glanced her way, holding a hefty amount of fabric in his arms. "Luna, we really need to go soon. I have a meeting with some of the shop owners in Knockturne today, and I know you have a meeting-"

"But I found the perfect fabric for Kit, won't he look great up on stage in this fabric?"

Draco stared at the shiny white satin. "Um…it's very shiny. Are you sure Kit will go for that?"

Luna nodded quickly, grabbing some black satin too. "Of course! Kit will look fabulous- maybe I can send a little outfit in our next letter! Ooh! What about these sequins?"

"No! Luna, we must be going." Draco said, tone firm. This was why he never came with Luna to these muggle cloth shops- usually Harry did this with her. How did he put up with it?

They left the shop, and made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron. The streets were filled with people- many now had returned from abroad, and stores were slowly reopening. Draco, especially, was taking this time to his advantage, and buying up shops and properties. Many of the shops that had remained open during the war had amassed some debts, so Draco bought them out, in exchange for ownership, or part ownership in some cases, of the shop. He was making a killing off of the profits now, now that everyone was coming back.

Still, things were precarious, which was why Draco was meeting with the shop owners in Knockturne Alley. Luna kissed his cheek as she stopped off in front of the Daily Prophet. "I'll see you at dinner, Draco." Luna said with a grin.

Draco nodded, squeezing her hand. "Of course. Have fun."

She laughed, and went inside. Draco walked down the street further, to Knockturne Alley. After his Father had been arrested, and he'd been made Head of the Family, he'd sold the majority of his property within the district. Because of this, he no longer had a foothold there, and the district was hurting. It didn't help that the Ministry was constantly there, searching for the remaining Death Eaters.

Draco sighed, noting how some of the properties were all boarded up. If he'd been a Death Eater, he would have never hidden in such an obvious place. He knew that most Death Eaters would feel the same. No, Knockturne Alley was likely safe from Death Eater activity for now. It was everywhere else you had to worry about. Several people in the street stopped and stared at Draco as he passed. Growing up, Draco had seen many people do the same to his Father, and it was unsettling.

Draco went into the Apothecary and gave a slight nod to the patrons as he passed. The shop clerk gasped as she noticed him. "Oh! Mr. Malfoy! The others are upstairs!"

"Thank you." He said curtly, and went upstairs to the meeting room. Traditionally, the shop owners of Knockturne met together twice a year, but they had not met last year at all. He knew for a fact that several of them had died, and their properties were vacant, while others had not returned from abroad. The small group of men and women stood as he entered the room.

He gave them a slight smile, and walked towards the table. "Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen."

"Mr. Malfoy." Several greeted, while a few frowned, and one spoke up.

"You're late."

"Sorry. I had some errands to run earlier this morning, and I had to escort Miss Lovegood to the Daily Prophet offices. Now..." He sat down, taking out a leather portfolio of papers. It held a current listing of all the properties he owned, how much he made off of them, as well as other details of each shop and their owner. He opened it, noting how all of the shop owners were watching him with bated breath.

"We heard you're snatching up property like candy." One of the men spoke. He was rather tall and skinny, and wore drab olive robes.

Draco smiled. "You heard correctly. Now, earlier, during the war, I pulled my funding out of many of your shops, not wanting to get involved in financial agreements whilst I was in school. Obviously, things have changed. The war is over, I graduated from school early, and I am quite clearly ready to take on the responsibility of funding shops once more. However, I do things a bit differently than my Father, and I think you'll find it quite agreeable."

Several of the Shop owners looked a bit uncomfortable. A woman spoke up. "Mr. Malfoy, the fact is, the majority of the shops here in this district have gone under. Many of them are abandoned, the owners dead or abroad permanently. We need to bring business to this district once more, but with the Ministry's searches, we cannot conduct business as we normally do."

Draco leant back in his chair, listening thoughtfully. Another man spoke up. "My shop has been in the family for almost 700 years. I cannot lose it- I lost many of my family in the war, in the attacks at Hogsmeade, I cannot lose any more." He pleaded.

"But the Ministry is likely to shut us down, if they continue with the way things are going. We need your help to convince them to stop the raids." A plump woman spoke up, eyes narrowed on the boy. "You're just a child, yes, but as a hero of the war, the Ministry will listen to you."

Draco sighed. "I'm afraid the Ministry won't listen to me much, considering my family history, and a few other factors. They certainly won't take anything I say seriously." He frowned, looking down. "The thing is, all of you may have to...change the way your business works. Knockturne Alley has a bad reputation, something that none of you can afford right now. If you give the Ministry no reason to suspect any dark activities, they will eventually stop the raids."

He took a few slips of paper out. "I have a proposal. There are several businesses who are interested in purchasing property, but they are unable to afford the property in Diagon Alley. It is rather...unconventional, but they would certainly bring new people into the district, and new ideas."

Draco looked at them placidly. "To be frank, one of the businesses will be run by an American, while another will be by a muggleborn, and the third will be by a Spaniard. I know that Knockturne and Diagon have traditionally been owned by the British, but I believe by bringing in others, it will increase the revenue by all of the shops-"

"A mudblood! We don't need any mudbloods owning a shop-"

"They don't even own any shops in Hogsmeade or in Diagon!"

"Correct. You have to realize, many of the muggleborns leave the wizarding world once they graduate from Hogwarts-"

"Good."

"No, not good. We have lost quite a bit of wizards, either due to the wars, or to them moving abroad. If we do not convince the muggleborns to stay, we will die out, and not only will we die out, our economy will as well. I suggest that we welcome them-"

"Of course you would, you blood traitor!" One of the men yelled, and paled, suddenly realizing what he'd just said. Draco stood, and stared him down. He spoke, and his voice was low and flat, and the others knew he was pissed.

"Mr. Halliwell, all of you asked me to this meeting to help you. I am just doing as you asked. I am trying my best to save your shops. Now, why can't we be mature about this? Calling each other names won't solve a thing." He looked about the table, and no one said a word. Several looked nervous- as though he was going to leave right there.

Draco sat down once more. "Now, for those of you who would like, I can buy back my shares of the shops, and we can negotiate contracts and things privately. I know some of you had arrangements with Father, but I will tell you now that I am NOT my Father. Is that understood?"

Many were in agreement.

"Very well then. Now, are all of you in agreement to these new shops coming to Knockturne?"

* * *

Harry was walking along with Neville, holding hands. They were bundled up in the cold weather, sidestepping patches of snow. Harry's steps quickened to match up with Neville. "What did you think of the school? Pretty cool, huh?"

"Hmm…I liked SIM better. Who knew that muggles and magicals could go to school together, hmm?"

Harry nodded quickly, and spotted a coffee shop up ahead. "Oh, let's go to this coffee shop and warm up a bit, yeah?"

Neville gave him a small smile, and wrapped his arm around the other boy's shoulders. "Maybe get you some hot chocolate?"

Harry nodded quickly, and they went into the shop. Right away, they noticed that the place was different than others they'd been to. It was full of people but…something they couldn't quite place was different. As they waited in line, Harry finally realized what it was, seeing a couple of girls holding hands.

He gasped, and whispered in Neville's ear. "Nev, this coffee shop is full of gay people!"

Neville glanced around, and indeed, there were lots of gay people around, with various colorful things on the walls. The girl up at the counter smiled at them brightly as it was their turn.

"Well, hello, haven't seen you two around before."

"We're just visiting." Harry said with a smile.

"Ooh, you guys are from England! Hey Joe, these guys have those Brit accents!" She called out to a rather nervous looking boy behind the counter.

Harry blushed, and Neville coughed. "Um, Kit will have a small hot chocolate, and I'll have um…coffee. Black, small."

"Got it, sugar." She winked at Harry, and got to work. Harry blushed, wondering if she was hitting on him because she thought he was a girl. Someone entered the shop, the door ringing.

"Oh, it's Wednesday already? Joe, could you get the chairs together, hon?" The girl called out. A guy ducked out from behind the counter, and started to arrange some tables and chairs.

"What's going on?" Harry asked.

The girl set down Neville's coffee, glancing curiously at Harry. "There's a group that meets here every Wednesday. I just assumed that you were here for that, considering you're wearing a collar and all."

"Collar?" Harry echoed, hand going to his collar, which was peeking out from his shirt. Neville glanced back to the group that was now gathering at the tables, helping Joe set up. There were all sorts of people there- all ages and genders, and he spotted a couple of them with collars.

"What's collars have to do with it?" Neville asked.

The girl set down Harry's hot chocolate. "Want whip cream, hon?" Harry shook his head. "Well, they're one of those…BDSM groups, you know? What are they called…a munch!"

"What a funny name." Harry same, scrunching up his nose. "What does BDSM stand for anyways?"

The girl accepted the money from Neville, and rang them up. "Why don't you ask them if you're so curious? They'll be able to answer you better than I can." She said flippantly. "They're really nice people." She added, seeing Harry's nervousness.

Neville just gave him a slight smile, and took him by the hand. "Thanks." He said to the girl, and led Harry over to the group. Joe had long abandoned them, and was now going back to the counter. The group was settling into their chairs, and one of the women glanced their way curiously.

Neville bit his lip. "Hi…um…you guys have the meeting?"

"Oh yeah, sit!" Another woman exclaimed, smiling broadly. "I'm Andy, and this is my husband John, and we run the meeting." Harry and Neville sat down together on a loveseat. Harry was glancing around at the other people, noting the empty chairs. Andy and John were both a bit on the large side, but they looked nice enough. Neither of them wore a collar. Andy motioned to an older man with graying hair, who wore a suit. "And this is Steve." The guy gave them a slight wave.

"And I'm Pepper!" A girl said with a grin- she had short black hair done up in small pigtails. She wore a black dress and a collar. Harry thought her shoes were cute- they had cat faces on them.

"Everyone's not here yet, so you're a bit early." Andy said with a smile. "So, um, where you guys from?"

"London." They both said in unison. It was easier than saying that they lived in a Forest in Scotland, sometimes.

"Ooh, what brings you two all the way over to Providence?"

"We were looking at schools. We're taking a trip this semester across the Country. We've gone to Salem, Washington D.C, and here, so far. We'll be heading to New York, next. After that, we have Chicago, St. Louis, and…a few other places."

"Wow, sounds like you two will have quite the trip ahead of you. Oh, there's Rabbit." A skinny girl with bright red shortly chopped hair walked their way. She flopped down into a seat, and glanced their way.

"Oh, new people!"

"I'm Nev, and this is Kit." Neville said with a grin.

"Meow." Rabbit said with a wink to Harry. "So, you two look kind of young, have you been in the scene long?"

"Scene?" Harry echoed.

Neville cleared his throat. "The truth is, that girl at the counter told us you were meeting…um, you guys are a BDSM group?"

"Oh!" Andy exclaimed. "Yes, we are. I just assumed you found us online. So, you're new to the scene?"

Harry and Neville exchanged a look, and John took pity on them. "So, let's start with an easier question- how long have you two been together?"

"Five years." Harry said with a small smile, lacing his fingers with Neville.

"Wow, you must have just been kids when you two got together. So…I'm guessing Kit is the submissive?" Rabbit asked.

Neville nodded, and Harry glanced at him curiously. "So…it's normal?" Neville asked cautiously.

Andy and Rabbit nodded quickly, and John stood. "I'm going to get us some drinks. Andy, you want a muffin too?"

Andy nodded, and John went to the counter. Pepper lent forward with a grin. "Love the hair, Kit. So is that your real name, or a fake one? I use a fake one, and so does Rabbit, obviously."

"Stage name." Neville said with a small smile.

"Ooh, you act or something?" Rabbit asked.

Harry shook his head quickly. "We're in a band."

"Oh, cool. So, you guys are new…any questions you're dying to ask?"

Harry shrank in his seat slightly. He had no idea what BDSM was- Neville apparently thought it was a good idea for them to be here. Neville spoke up.

"What does BDSM stand for exactly?"

"Bondage, Discipline, Sadism, and Masochism. There's also D/s, which is Dominance and submission. A lot of people have different titles, though, it really depends on who you ask." Pepper rattled off.

Harry's eyes went round. Discipline? Bondage? Those sounded interesting. He perked up in his seat a bit.

"There's lots of things in the BDSM community, why don't we introduce ourselves properly?" Andy suggested as John sat back down.

Pepper bounced in her seat. John chuckled. "Pepper, why don't you go first?"

Pepper grinned at the two newbies. "Well, I'm Pepper- I'm a submissive, and currently, I am a sub to a Mistress who could not be here today. She had to work. But I'm also a Little- that means someone who is into Age Play. In lamens terms, that means I get to color and be read to, and things like that. But I also am sent to time out if I get into trouble. I've been in the scene for two years now." She giggled with a grin.

Harry barely had time to take in what she said when Steven went next. "I'm a Dominant, but right now, I'm un-partnered. I've been in the scene for about eleven years. I'm really into rope bondage, but I wouldn't say no to cuffs either." He said with a relish.

Harry's mind boggled at using rope, wow, he wanted to try it now-

Rabbit cut in. "And I'm Rabbit! I'm actually not very active in the scene right now, as I haven't really had a partner in a while, but I make lots of cool stuff at all the conventions and events, so I like to keep up with things. Um, I've been in the scene for six years…no, seven years now. I'm Poly, as well."

"Poly?" Harry questioned.

"Multiple partners. I know, before my last partner passed away, I was with him, and another girl at the same time. We all lived together as a family."

"Oh, then we're Poly too!" Harry said with a grin. "There's other people like us!" He said excitedly to Neville.

Neville gave him a small grin, and John spoke up.

"Ahem, well, Andy and I have been married for eight years, and I've been in the scene for twenty-five years, while she's been in the scene for sixteen. She is my submissive, and we're also into Age Play. We've been hosting this group now for two years. So, you think you're Poly?"

Harry blushed. "Well…back home, we have two friends…um…"

"You can tell us anything, we're not allowed to tell anyone outside the group a thing, if you're worried about that." Andy cut in.

Neville squeezed his hand, comforting the other boy. "Well, Kit and I have been together for five years now. Our two friends got together at about the same time. I don't think they're into…stuff like we are, but for a few years now, we've all been…together. During the holidays, we lived together and everything."

"What did your families say about that?" Pepper asked curiously.

Harry bit his lip. "Our parents are dead, actually. All four of us."

"Oh. Wow. Sorry." Rabbit said, looking as though she felt bad.

Neville shook his head. "It's all right. We all met at school, and we started the band together. They're back home, taking care of business, while we go abroad to look at schools."

"Tell us about your friends!" Pepper said, clapping her hands excitedly as Joe from the counter came by and gave her some tea. "Thanks, Joe." Joe scuttled away, looking a bit nervous for some reason.

"Well, Lu is very pretty, and so is Draco. They're both blonde. Luna's got a…unique fashion sense, and Draco is a bit of a snob, sometimes." Harry said with a slight smile. "Luna's really good at writing- she's writing a book now, and she's not bad with a guitar."

"So how did you get into D/s?" Andy asked.

Harry glanced at Neville. Neville rubbed the back of his neck. "Uhm…well, we do stuff, and it feels right. It's just…it's always been that way. But I realized recently that um…maybe we need to figure out a way to do it safer? We…I really don't know if I'm doing stuff right, and I don't want to hurt Kit. In the bad way, I mean."

Harry looked at him worriedly. "You were worried about that?"

Neville gave him a slight shrug.

"Of course, that's one of the most important things you should learn!" Andy started. "Safe, Sane, and Consensual." She counted off on her fingers. "Safe, of course, means that you have a safeword, and make precautions in case of an accident. If you're doing bondage, make sure you have scissors in case Kit needs to get out quickly. Or if Kit is unable to talk, make some sort of signal in lieu of a safe word."

"Good idea." Harry said quietly.

"Oh, oh, and don't forget your rubbers, and that you always talk things through before you start something- you don't want to be in the middle of something, and someone freak out, okay?" Pepper said.

"A good way of doing that is making a list of things you like, don't like, or want to try. It's a lot of fun to do it together, not boring at all." Steven said.

Neville nodded, looking thoughtful. "So…um…any ideas for us to try out? I think I'm pretty much open to anything. Kit?"

Harry nodded quickly. "Me too."

Andy raised a brow. "Sometimes people say that, but they don't realize how much stuff one can do in the scene."

Pepper fished out some paper with a grin. "I've got paper! Let's make a list for the newbies!"

* * *

Luna smiled as she walked into the front gates of the Hogwarts grounds. She noticed that several centaurs were guarding the perimeter of the grounds, and gave her a slight nod in greeting as they saw her. She locked the gates behind her, and continued towards the forest. The grounds had been abandoned, as the students had started their classes in Bristol, where they were building the new school. Draco's meeting the day before had been successful, and now he was meeting with some of the shop owners in Hogsmeade he regularly dealt with. She was quite excited to see how it would all turn out. She headed into the forest, and walked for a bit- it wasn't long until a soft pop alerted her to a House elf. It was bundled up with a strange assortment of leaves and materials taken from the forest- it's tea towel hidden under all the it's ear, hung a bright red feather, like some of the centaurs wore. That was odd.

House Elves were not used to being out in the cold so much, but they refused to leave the Grounds.

"Oh, hello there." Luna said, bending down to look at him.

"Miss Lovegood, Chief Appleheart is wanting to meet with you right away!" It squeaked. Luna took him by the hand.

"Take me to him."

They popped away, and reappeared in a clearing. Luna's eyes widened at the sight. She'd only been in Centaur territory once before,several years beforehand, and even then, it had been fleeting. It looked quite different now. There were a number of small huts about, in addition to the taller huts for the centaurs. Considering how some of the Houseleves were walking about, she realized that the Houseelves and the centaurs were living together.

At the center of the clearing, there was a large fire, where some of the mares and the colts were gathered. It didn't take long for the centaurs to realize a human was among them. Luna had never met Appleheart before, but then again, it was rare for a human to meet with a Centaur clan chief.

A tall centaur came out of one of the larger huts. His white hair held a handful of red feathers, and he looked rather old. Firenze came up from behind her, while Bane accompanied his Father.

"Miss Lovegood. I asked the Elf here to alert me if you or any of your friends entered our Forest once more. I would like to speak with you, privately." The creature spoke.

"Of course. I would be honored." Luna whispered. She followed The Chief and his two sons into the larger hut, and stood, noticing there was nowhere to sit.

"Now, I'm sure you've noticed how the Elves are now within are camp."

Luna nodded. "We are glad that they have decided to stay here within the forest, but we centaurs do not need Elves attending to us. We are not lazy humans, we do not need their help. When we told them this, they only cried, and continued to help us. We do not have enough provisions for them for the winter."

Luna's lips thinned. "Would you like for me to convince them to leave? Where would they go?"

Appleheart shook his head. "They stay. They will be needed. Just not with us. Why have you gone?"

"Humans can't stand the cold as much as we can." Bane said, sneering slightly at the girl.

Luna bit her lip. "Kit and Neville have gone abroad, to search for other options for schooling. Draco is attempting to bring more revenue into the wizarding world- our economy was devastated with the war."

"Harry Potter is leaving England?" Appleheart looked struck, for a moment.

"Not permanently!" Luna placated. "We think that the new school in Bristol will not provide students with what they need. They are visiting other schools so they can get ideas for a new school. They will return with the spring."

"Why are you not living within the grounds, then, if you and Draconis have not left our community?"

"We have been staying at the Manor for the winter. When the weather is better, we were planning on returning."

"If you had a suitable home here, then you would stay?" The Cheif reasoned.

Luna blinked. "I...suppose we would."

"Then it shall be done. Our clan needs you here."

Luna glanced up at the sky. "Is it written?"

"There are many things written, but our best option is that you stay. You cannot leave- this land will be taken by those who wish to use it for other purposes."

Luna paled. "The Ministry? Of course, we can't let them get to the Grounds."

Appleheart only hummed, and his pale eyes went to Luna's. "Hagrid has been a great help to us, but I fear that his Colleagues may convince him to go to the new Grounds. He needs to stay as well. If you are to leave, I wish that at least one of you remain behind. Yes, we are quite good at guarding the Forest, but we are not it's Guardians."

He looked pointedly at Luna, and Luna blinked in surprise. "Are you saying..."

"Don't get ideas, human. No human owns the land, no one does." Bane cut in with a growl.

Firenze sighed, and went forward, taking Luna's hand. "It will be ready within a fortnight. Your Draco will be easily convinced." A glimmer entered his eye as he said that, and Luna gave him a small smile.

* * *

Harry and Neville were looking out the window, checking out the view of their hotel room in New York City.

"Hey, you think we have a bit of time for a shag before we meet with up with the people at NYMU?"

Harry swatted Neville's arm. "Is that what you always think about?"

Neville waggled his eyebrows. "Not always. Well?" His hands crept over his bum. "Want to start on that list?"

Harry laughed. "Later, later- we'll have plenty of time- I don't want to feel all wonky for the meeting-"

"Ah ah, the proper term I believe is sub-drop, Kit." Neville said, picking Harry up. Harry made a face at him.

"It feels wonky, so that's what I'm going to call it…Nev…" He groaned, bouncing as he hit the bed. "Don't you want to go sightseeing? Or maybe-" He was cut off with a kiss. "Or maybe-oh, Nev, ow!"

Neville chuckled, releasing his pinch. "You liked it. You got that cute little face-"

"Ow!" Harry squirmed halfheartedly under the boy, glaring at him. "Hey, we've got to get ready for the meeting, and aren't- hey!"

"We've got time."

* * *

That afternoon, the two of them were following a group of students out of the school. Harry was super excited. "I loved the classroom set ups, so muggle looking!"

The students laughed at his excitement. "You Brits are very removed from the muggles, aren't you? Some of us were going to go out tonight to a club, if you want to go…"

Harry looked pleadingly at Neville. Neville gave him a slight grin. "Yeah, we'll go. So, this place muggle?"

One of the students nodded. "It's on eighteenth and Park Ave. Called Chuck's. You drink? We could hook you up."

Harry shook his head, as did Neville.

"Alright, we'll see you then-"

As they started to walk away, Neville called back. "We could wear anything, right?"

"Yeah, casual, black, whatever. Just look cool. Got anything to wear?" One of the guys called back.

Neville gave him one of his half smiles. "Yeah, I think so."

Harry was applying his makeup for that evening when Neville came into the loo, wearing just his leather pants. Harry glanced at the boy's reflection in the mirror, arching a brow. "Well, hello. What shirt are you wearing?"

Neville shrugged. "No clue. I think I'm outgrowing some of my shirts. They're getting to be a bit tight. Um…you don't think I'm getting…uhm, fat, do you?"

Harry grinned. "No. Those shirts are probably tight because I've been putting shrinking charms on them."

"What?" Neville squawked. Harry smiled at him sheepishly, and continued to put on his eye shadow. Neville huffed, and walked back out of the loo. Harry stood, and pulled on his white sweater, buttoning up the front. He made a face, and took it off. No, he was going to a club, not another meeting.

He went to the bedroom, and found Neville ransacking their trunks for a shirt. Harry gave him a slight smile, and held up his favorite black t-shirt. "Oh, thanks." The boy mumbled, pulling it on.

Harry rummaged through the trunk. "I was thinking of wearing my shorts and tights again, what do you think?"

"That your bum looks cute." Neville said, groping said bum. "But your legs will be freezing in those tights when we go out. Why don't you try something different? Like…oh, what about that top Luna made for you?" He pulled out a light pink blouse, and Harry shook his head.

"No, I want something sexy. That's cute, but it's not sexy."

"It's sexy when you've got a little skirt on with it."

"I'm not wearing a bloody skirt in this weather, or in front of these people." Harry grumbled, pulling out Luna's black latex corset. "Where the hell-"

"Ooh, you should wear that. And the pants and boots."

"It's going to be damned uncomfortable."

"But you'll look fucking sexy. I'll help you put it on." It took a bit of work to put it on, but they finally did. They shined the latex up, since it hadn't been worn in a while. Harry looked at himself in the mirror, unsure.

"Don't worry Kit, you look fantastic."

"Thanks." Harry mumbled, unbraiding his hair. He ran his hands through it, and touched up his makeup a bit. He pulled on his coat. "I think we need to head out soon, yeah?"

"Yeah." Neville said, pulling on his own coat. He gave Harry a once over. "I'll try _really_ hard not to shag you in the loo."

Harry rolled his eyes, blushing. "Thank you Nev."

Eyes were glued to the couple as soon as they took off their jackets. Neither really noticed the stares they garnered as they passed, looking for the group of students.

"Oh, there they are." Harry said, waving to the students, who didn't seem to recognize them at first.

"Holy shit, where did you get that outfit from?" One of the other boys whistled.

Harry grinned, and Neville wrapped an arm loosely around Harry's waist. "Kit looks hot, yeah? Lu made it back home. Let's go dance."

They headed to the dance floor, where it didn't take long for the two of them to get everyone's attention. Neville kissed Harry right there on the floor, hand cupping his cheek. Harry kissed back, groaning slightly as he felt a slight tug at his collar. Another hand slid down his back, and groped him as they turned, pulling him close against the other boy.

Harry laughed, and turned, so that Neville was holding him from behind. The others had come out onto the dance floor, and were dancing now too. Their lingering glances made Harry blush, but…he looked good, he realized.

"Kit…kit…kitty kit…." Neville purred into his ear, making Harry turn slightly to look up at him. The kissed a bit more as they danced. "Such a pretty kit." Neville breathed into his mouth. "Aren't you?"

"Uh huh." Harry murmured back. Neville smiled, and squeezed him slightly. "Everyone's looking at you, and I don't blame them."

Harry could only laugh.

* * *

Yay, another chapter complete! You like?

So, will Luna and Draco move back to the Forest? What will happen next on Harry and Neville's trip?

Will the wizarding economy ever be rebuilt? And what's going to happen with the Hogwarts Grounds?

And-and what about the band! Holy crap, they've got a lot on their plates, don't they?

Speculate all you like about what will happen next. It's fun, seeing your theories. Please review guys, I will do a little happy dance!


	4. A Warm Greeting, a Cold Meeting

I loved the reviews- absolutely amazing as always! Thank you everyone for reading. Now, on to the story...

Chapter Four

* * *

Harry's smile grew fixed as he listened to the man's droning. He was anxious to get on with the tour, but all this political crap was boring him to death. Neville was lucky, he didn't have to stand and listen to this stuff. Neville was probably checking out the classrooms now. They were in Chicago. They'd spent most of their time here holed up in a hotel room, because it was freezing out.

They'd gotten a letter from Luna and Draco this morning, asking them to return. Harry got the feeling something else was going on, something that they didn't mention. Which was why he was so anxious. He'd told Neville about the letter, but the boy pointed out that they hadn't finished their trip, and the ICW was going to make a note of it. Part of Harry really wanted to go back to the UK and see what the problem was, but another part of him wanted to finish the trip out.

Maybe they could move their schedule up a bit. Christmas was right around the corner, and the schools would be closed anyways. No one would blame them for wanting to go back for the holidays. Perhaps they could return?

So far, Chicago was very interesting- like many of the U.S schools, they had integrated the magical and muggle communities. Their technologies weren't exactly up to the same standards as SIM, but from what he'd heard, only one other group was doing what they were- and they were in San Francisco.

* * *

"Well, what did they say?" Luna asked Draco, pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace. Their things were half packed, and they were getting ready to move out of the Manor. Draco was happy to move out of the Manor, even if that meant 'roughing it' on the Hogwarts grounds. Luna didn't have to do too much convincing.

"Neville says that they're going to go ahead of schedule. They're only going to spend a couple of days in Santa Fe and move on to San Francisco, because that's what they really want to see anyways. He says that they'll be back for Yule."

"Thank goodness!" Luna exclaimed. "The centaurs are getting worried. And when the centaurs are worried, we've got a problem on our hands." She sighed, running a hand through her hair. It had slowly been growing back from her haircut, and it brushed just past her shoulders now.

Draco sat at his desk, frowning slightly. "Harry says here that they've asked him to work over there again. This time, it was in Chicago. You...don't think he'd really do that...would you?"

Luna shook her head. "No. I very much doubt he would leave the Forest permanently. You know how he feels about it."

The floo flared up, and Severus stepped through. He glanced Luna's way, and spoke to Draco.

"Draco, we've got a problem."

"I would say so! What are you doing here?" Draco stood, frowning. He and Severus hadn't spoken in some time- the man had been busy with the new school being rebuilt.

"The Ministry is demanding that they be allowed use of the property, or they will open it for auction to the public."

Draco raised a brow. "They can't do that. Hogwart's Charter-"

"That land is no longer Hogwarts. The new school in Bristol is Hogwarts." Severus sat down on the sofa, frowning. "They are saying that the Charter is now voided, now that the school no longer exists."

"What...what are they planning on doing with all that land, then?" Draco asked.

"Splitting it up, I suppose. Selling it off. I don't know who would buy it, since no one has enough money."

"Except for us." Luna said, looking thoughtful. She turned to Draco. "We need to write Harry and Neville. Tell them to come home, as soon as they can. Neville might...have to play his wildcard."

"Wildcard?" Severus questioned.

Luna and Draco exchanged a look.

* * *

Harry frowned at the letter in his hands. It was their second day in Santa Fe.

"Neville, we've got a problem." He handed the letter over to the man. They were sitting at the breakfast table with Cheif Runningbear, his daughter Rosalie, and some of the Professors at the University.

Neville's eyes scanned the letter, and he cursed. "Shit."

Harry spoke up, setting his napkin down on the table. "We've got an emergency over at the scho- I mean back home. I'm sorry we've got to cut our time short."

The Chief and the others stood, as Harry and Neville stood.

"May I ask what is going on?" The Chief asked.

Neville handed the letter back to Harry, who slipped it into his pocket. "The Ministry is taking over the land that Hogwarts used to be on. They're going to sell it off, I suppose, even though it's a sanctuary for Magical wildlife."

The Chief frowned. "I see."

"We must be going. I'm so sorry. I hope that we can schedule another trip."

Rosalie spoke up. "Do you think I could accompany you? I might be able to help. Let me just floo some of my friends." She looked pleadingly to her Father. The Chief furrowed his brow.

"Rosalie, what are you-"

"Please Father, let me help them. You're always saying I should get out more, well I am now- I can help them, I know it!"

The man sighed, shaking his head. "I cannot stop you. You're grown."

Harry and Neville left the table, with Rosalie following them. Rosalie spoke quickly, and quietly. "I'm going to floo some of my friends. We all worked together ages ago, but I know that they would be happy to help- and they're always looking for something new to do."

"Are you sure? I mean, your Father is here-"

The girl shook her head. "I can floo back if I need to. I've got a Pass. Come on, let's go save that land!"

* * *

Rosalie's eyes went round as Luna tackled Harry to the ground. They were in the foyer of Malfoy Manor. Draco was hugging Neville with a broad grin, and the two boys helped Harry back up to his feet.

"Nice to see you Kit." Draco said, hugging Harry tightly. He looked to the others. "Who are they?"

Harry motioned to Rosalie.

"This is Rosalie Runningbear- her Father is the Chief of the Magical Native American Nation. These are her friends, Summer Hayes-" A girl with sandy blonde hair waved at them. "Demetri Johnson-" A black boy shook Draco's hand. "And Zoe Whitehawk." A girl with long dark red hair greeted them with a smile.

Rosalie spoke up. "I think we can help you. I don't think they'll try anything with me around- they'll know I can go straight to my father. It'll create an international political disaster if they do." She said with a wry grin. She motioned to the others. "Summer's Father is an ICW representative, and she's a student over at Berkley, and she's working in the labs at San Francisco-"

Harry and Neville grinned at this.

"And Demetri here actually has experience working with Contracts and things, as the whole lot of his muggle family are lawyers. He'd be one too, but he's too busy taking care of his plants."

"You're a herbologist?" Neville asked interestedly. Demetri nodded.

"I mostly focus on tropical plants, but yeah, I got my Masters last year." Demetri said. He had a really low voice, which was unexpected from such a short guy.

"And Zoe is good at...lots of things." Rosalie said with a smile, and Zoe laughed.

"I went to school with Rosalie, and I've been right there with her when we protested over the harvesting of some of the redwoods, and development in some of our ancient grounds. Me and Rosalie went to school for Politics, but we hate politicians, for the most part. We just want to be able to work around them, you know?"

Harry nodded, with a grin. "You know what, I think we need to get some of our friends together too."

"Done, and Done." Luna said, hugging Harry again. They had been gone far too long. "Hermoine, Daphne, Susan, the Twins, and the Creevey brothers are all on standby. We're going to get everyone together tomorrow, and we'll head to Hogwarts-"

Draco shook his head. "It's not Hogwarts anymore." He said quietly. "We have to call it something else."

The group was quiet for a moment.

"Um...where are we anyways?" Zoe finally asked.

Draco cleared his throat. "Oh, how rude of me. Welcome to Malfoy Manor, my family's traditional home." He waved about to it. "Not that I've been here that often in the past few years." He led them out of the foyer. "We've set you up with a couple of rooms, but don't get too comfortable- we'll be heading to the Grounds tomorrow, and we might need to stay there."

Harry raised a brow. "Um...we're going to be staying on the Grounds? Will the centaurs be okay with that?"

"Centaurs?" Demetri, Zoe, and Summer all exclaimed in unison. It was extremely rare to see a centaur, even in the wizarding world.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, there's a whole herd of them that live in the forest."

Rosalie didn't look too surprised for some reason, but the others were gobsmacked.

"If it's Centaur land, they would be mad to take it away from them!" Summer exclaimed. "The Centaurs are a magically protected Creature, they should-"

"Tell that to the Minister." Harry cut in darkly, and Draco motioned to a corridor.

"Your rooms. Dinner will be ready in an hour. We'll talk about other details with the Forest."

* * *

"Wait, so you're saying that not only do you have a herd of over 150 centaurs in this forest, there's also a herd of almost 100 Unicorns, a ton of Acromantula, some amazingly rare plantlife, a Threstral herd so large that no one has any idea how big it is, and a _Fairy_ Mound!" Zoe exclaimed, her food abandoned. No one was eating their dinner much- they'd gotten carried away with their conversation. They had, after all, just found out that this forest had one of the largest herds in the magical world of Unicorns and Centaurs- who knew about the others.

Summer whispered to Zoe. "I didn't know there were such a thing as Fairies." Harry hid a smile. Come spring, they'd see.

Draco sighed. "Exactly. The thing is, most of these people are unaware of what's in the Forest. It's always been forbidden for people to go inside, unstandably because it's dangerous, however-"

"However we've been exploring it since we were all kids." Harry cut in. "We, along with Hagrid, know that Forest better than anyone. We are the only ones that are actually welcomed there. The Ministry doesn't care about all these amazing creatures- they just want to use the property for..." He trailed off, and Luna put it best with one word.

"Harvesting."

The group collectively shivered.

"Well, there are a lot of things we can do. You can either buy the land yourself, or somehow prove that you are the only ones suitable to care for the land. Perhaps you can strike a deal with the Ministry?" Demetri asked.

Harry made a face at the thought of making a deal with the Ministry.

* * *

That night, after the others settled into their rooms for the evening, Harry and Neville followed Draco and Luna to their room. Instantly, they were on each other, snogging like mad. Draco was stripping Harry, while Neville had pinned Luna up against the wall. Harry laughed as Draco carried him over to the bed.

"It's been far too long. Don't leave us like that again." Draco murmured, kissing him soundly.

"Not planning on it." Harry breathed as soon as they came up for air. Draco stripped off his own clothes, and Neville dragged Luna over to the bed. It wasn't too long before they were all naked and groping each other, snogging pretty heavily.

Neville tugged Harry close by his collar, and kissed him, while Draco went down on Harry. Luna watched with a widening grin as Neville plundered Harry's mouth.

"Something's different about you two." She murmured, reaching forward to pet Harry's hair. "What changed?"

Harry smiled, and Neville gave a feral grin to the girl. "What do you two know about D/s?"

Luna cocked her head. "What's that?"

"Let me show you." Neville murmured, kissing Harry again. He glanced down to Draco. "Draco, are you too busy to watch?"

Draco grinned, pulling away from what he was doing. "Never."

* * *

"Peewee Longbottom?" The Minister asked incredulously, staring at Neville's family tree. "This has to be a fake. Gryffindor's name couldn't possibly-"

"It's true. You know that this form cannot be forged." Luna cut in. The Minister and his entourage, along with the Headmaster and several of the staff members stood at the Front gates of the 'old' Hogwarts grounds. Hagrid stood off to the side, along with the centaurs, blocking their path inside. Hermione was looking particularly nervous at standing up to the Minister and the Headmaster. The twins and the Creevey brothers were brimming with excitement at being a part of something important, even though they were all standing in a foot of snow. Everyone looked completely shocked at Neville's revelation- it was their last defense.

They'd argued everything else, from protecting magical species and plantlife, to harvesting rights. They'd been here two hours already, and no one was budging.

Those who'd come all the way from Santa Fe were freezing in their boots- warming charms didn't quite do the trick in this weather.

Snape took the form, and tested it with a number of spells. "It's genuine, Minister."

The man glared at him. "And why should I trust-"

Dumbledore cut in. "Now really, there's no need to argue." He turned to Neville. "If what you say is true, why not come forward sooner?"

Neville tried his best not to look nervous. He was about to lie blatantly to the Headmaster's face. "We _just_ did this potion. Harry thought it might be a good idea, just in case. He pointed out that all of us had long family histories, and we wanted to know if there was another way of...keeping the land out of the Ministry's hands."

"Well, this is certainly a way." The Headmaster said, looking thoughtfully at the page. "Legally, this land is yours, Mr. Longbottom, since there are no other known heirs of the Four Founders." He peered at Harry. "And_ all _of you took the test?"

Harry cursed internally. The Headmaster would be very interested to know about his family history. If it came out, the papers well...well, Draco and Luna owned all the newspapers and magazines now. They wouldn't say a thing. But still, the Headmaster could find out.

"Yes, we did. Like we said, Headmaster, we wanted to see what our options were." Luna wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulders as the Headmaster continued to look at Harry knowingly.

"Mr. Potter, may I ask what you found? After all, your friend's lineages are fairly well known, with the exception of Mr. Longbottom's...development. However, your Mother..."

Harry's eyes fell to the ground. "Was a muggleborn, and her entire line was full of muggles."

"Hmm. I see." The Headmaster did not sound convinced. He motioned to the staff. "Well, I daresay we've wasted some of our time today. Back to the school, then." He turned to the friends casually. "May I ask what you are going to do to the land now?"

Luna piped up. "It's going to continue being a sanctuary!"

The Headmaster gave the girl a twinkling smile, and turned to walk back into Hogsmeade. The Minister and his cronies followed like Puppies, complaining all the way about secretive teenagers.

Harry turned to Rosalie. "Thanks for being there. I think they would have made a bigger fuss if you lot hadn't been here."

Rosalie waved it off. "No problem. So, what do we do now?"

"Set up tents." Neville said.

Harry approached Firenze, and the Centaur thanked the boy. "Thank you Mr. Potter, for your assistance. If you had not interviened, we would have had blood spilt on this land."

Harry shivered at the thought. "Your Father said that he wanted us to live here permanently?"

"You and yours." Firenze motioned to Neville, Luna, and Draco. "No other humans."

Harry bit his lip, and glanced to the others. He interrupted Neville's talks of getting the tents set up.

"Guys, you are going to have to stay in Hogsmeade or something while we get this sorted out. Only the Four of us are allowed to stay." He motioned to himself, Neville, Luna, and Draco.

Hermoine raised a brow, while the Twins spoke up.

"We can stay at our shop, no big deal."

Colin cleared his throat. "Um...we left school. For this. Dumbledore will undoubtedly interrogate us as soon as we get back."

Harry sighed. "Go back to school, Colin. If he asks you anything, tell him that you don't know anything. You too, Dennis. We'll keep you in the loop, but I don't want you two getting in trouble."

"But we want to help!" Dennis cried.

"And you will."

Neville turned to the others. "I guess you lot can stay in one of our Houses until then-"

Susan and Daphne shook their heads. "We've got a flat in London." Susan said, with a small smile. "Just let us know when you need us." The girls joined hands.

Hermoine studiously avoided looking at their hands. "And I'm staying in Hogsmeade, so I won't be too far away. I've got a job as an assistant in the Ministry, but I don't think it will last long, considering I just stood up to my boss." She sighed.

Luna gave an understanding look to the girl. "Then you can work with us. You've got a brilliant mind, you've just got to put it to good use. I'm going to need your help contacting some newspapers."

Hermoine's eyes sparked, and she grinned. Rosalie spoke up. "We can help with that too!"

Hagrid spoke up, grinning at Harry. "So you lot will be stayin' here?"

Harry nodded, and the big man hugged Harry tight. "Great!" He glanced at Firenze, setting Harry down. "Not that I don't mind your company, you lot aren't much for talkin', you know?"

"And you guys can stay at the Manor- might as well get some use." Draco offered. He'd just have to make sure to keep certain rooms warded.

"What are we doing here, standing out in the snow- let's get going!" Demetri

* * *

Check out this video- it's a really pretty song, and I kind of imagine the band sounding a bit like this, except a bit more rock-ish. Check out her other stuff too, it's wicked cool.

youtube .com/watch?v=bjDbTwWxA5A&feature=related

* * *

My 'Canon' Details: These places are mentioned several times throughout my first story, and this sequel.

There were seven secondary magical institutions they could go to, and four Universities. The secondary schools were in Salem, New York, Savannah, Chicago, Baton Rouge, Santa Fe, and Berkley. Their Universities were in Salem, Berkley, Santa Fe, and St. Louis, and Providence. There are also labs in Salem, and San Francisco.

Each school even had their own websites, and for muggle employers, diplomas and resumes were only slightly forged to represent muggle schools.

There are a number of schools abroad, obviously, but I will include more details next time!


	5. Muggles and Business

I loved the reviews- absolutely amazing as always! Thank you everyone for reading. Now, on to the story...

Chapter Five

* * *

A little boy nimbly climbed a tree, and grasped the kite in his hands. His Father ran over the hill, and towards him.

"Richard! There you are, don't you know-"

The little boy gasped as he saw something in the distance. "Dad, there's a village over there! I thought there wasn't another village besides ours for miles around?" He pointed his finger over to the village in the distance, half hidden behind trees.

The man stared off in the distance, eyes narrowing. "I didn't think there was. Come down from there Richard." The little boy dropped the kite to the ground, and started to climb down.

"Dad, can we go see?"

"I don't see why not. I'd like to see this village for myself."

He took the boy by the hand, and Richard carried the kite in his arm. The two of them wandered over the snow-covered field. The little boy was getting very excited, as he saw that there was smoke coming from some of the chimneys.

They turned on to a sleepy little street, looking around carefully. Most of the houses looked as though they were out of a story book, with thatched roofs and white picket fences. All of the roads were made of dirt, and they turned the corner on the street to see a lady carrying her groceries. She was dressed rather oddly. The man frowned, while the little boy tugged on his Father's hand.

"Let's go talk to the lady!"

The father shook his head, and they walked further into the village. There, they found more people, dressed oddly. It looked as though there were some shops on the main street, but they had the oddest of wares- why were those brooms displayed so prominently in the store window?

They bumped into a couple, both of them blonde, talking about a place called Hogwarts. What was Hogwarts?

Richard piped up. "Excuse me, but what village is this?"

The couple looked down at the little boy in surprise, and to the Father. The man smiled sheepishly. "We're from the next village over. I took my son out to fly his kite, and it sort of got away from us. I didn't know that there was another village so close by." He studied the couple, noting that they looked rather younger than most of the other villagers, and were dressed a bit more normally.

The girl and the boy exchanged a look. The girl spoke, kneeling in front of the boy. "What's your name?"

"Richard. Richard Winston."

The girl shook his head. "Delighted to meet you Richard. I'm Luna Lovegood, and this is my friend Draco Malfoy."

Richard pointed to his father. "This is my Dad, Bernard."

Luna glanced to the curious man, and looked back to the boy. "Richard, have you ever done something odd? Something you couldn't explain?"

Richard shook his head slowly, a bit confused. "No. Why?"

The girl straightened up, looking thoughtful. The boy murmured something to her, and Bernard had to lean in to hear what he'd said. Muggles. What were those?

The girl gave them a bright smile. "Well, Bernard, Richard, why don't you follow us? I think a friend of ours would like to meet you. He loves meeting new people!" She took the boy by the arm, and led them out of the crowded square, and up the wide street. It grew quieter as they walked away from all the hubub. Bernard frowned as he saw a destroyed storefront, like it'd collapsed in on itself.

"This little village is called Hogsmeade, and it has been here for almost a thousand years! There used to be a school here-" She pointed further up the road. "But it was destroyed a while back. Many of the villagers' ancestors built that school, and attended that school. The village was built here, and people have lived here ever since."

Richard looked a bit starry-eyed at the story, but Bernard thought it was a bit sketchy. A thousand years? Really?

The girl smiled at Bernard. "Would you happen to be from the village of Woodcroft?"

"Uh, yes, actually."

The girl smiled. "So...how far away is it? I've never been there myself."

"Um...not far, actually. About 15 Kilometers away?"

The boy seemed a bit surprised at this. He cleared his throat. "I'll go get Kit and Nev." He said quietly, and entered a shop. The girl smiled down at Richard."So, where's your mum? Is she here in the village too?"

Richard shook his head. "No, Mum's shopping with Auntie."

The girl nodded, and the boy came back out with another boy and a girl. Richard stared at the dark haired girl with wide eyes. She looked even more strange and exotic than he'd seen all day- and that was saying something. She looked down at Richard with a gentle smile.

"Why don't we sit and have some tea, hmm?" She held out her hand to Richard. "I'm Kit, and you must be Richard."

"You're pretty." Richard said with a smile.

All the teens laughed, and Richard took the girl's hand. Bernard hurried to follow them further up the road. There were less and less houses, and more and more trees up this way.

"You see, Richard, we haven't had visitors from other villages in quite some time. It's so nice to meet new people, even if it is a bit suprising. So, you chased after your kite, did you?"

The little boy nodded.

"Does anyone else know that you are here?"

Bernard frowned, wondering where they were going with this. "No. What's going on?"

Kit looked at him, and he sucked in a breath, seeing her alarming green eyes. She looked back down to his son. "Richard, do you believe in magic?"

The little boy nodded quickly. "Like Peter Pan, and King Arthur?"

"Something like that. Did you know that Merlin was a real person?" They stopped by the side of the road, and Bernard noticed that there was no one about.

"Really?" Richard's eyes were round.

"Yes. He was very real. Magic is real too." Kit took out a stick, and held it in front of the boy. "See, this is a wand."

The blonde boy, Draco, ran a hand over his face, looking nervous. "Kit, what are you doing-"

Kit smiled. "Why don't you try it out?"

Richard took the wand from Kit's hand, and waved it about. Bernard frowned. It was just a stick. Richard jabbed it into the air. Nothing happened. No sparkly lights, nothing.

Richard waved it about some more. "Hocus Pocus!...um Abra Cadabra!" The little boy cried, but nothing happened. The blonde boy jolted at Richard's words.

Kit sighed, and took the stick away from Richard. "Perhaps I can try." She said quietly. She flicked her wand, and with a murmured word, had a bouquet of flowers in her gasped, and Bernard raised a brow.

"You're a magician."

Kit looked up at him, with a small grin. "No. A wizard. I'm not like those people you see on the telly." She motioned to her friends. "In fact, all of us do magic. Every person in our village does magic." She put her wand away. "Which is why we are so surprised to see you."

"I can't do magic?" Richard asked softly, clearly dissapointed.

"I'm afraid not." Luna said with a small smile. "You're what we call muggles. People who cannot do magic. This village has been hidden away from those who cannot do magic for a very, very long time. Which is why we are so curious about how you got here in the first place."

"I lost my kite. I climbed up a tree to get it, and I saw your village." The boy said, frowning in thought.

"This is ridiculous. It was just a trick. Don't believe them, Richard." Bernard murmured, feeling a bit upset.

The blonde girl just smiled at them, and before their eyes, transformed into a small bird. Both Richard and Bernard gasped in surprise. Richard laughed delightedly as the bird hopped onto his shoulder, and preened his hair.

"Okay...what the hell is this?"

"Magic." The dark haired boy said.

* * *

Harry stared into the fire with a thoughtful frown. Muggles had gotten into their village today like it had been nothing. The wards must have been destroyed when Voldemort had attacked. And that muggle village was so close. This was going to be a problem. They had broken the Statute of secrecy today, something that they could get into very big trouble for. Draco was obviously not happy about what they'd done, and he was all for obliviating the muggles.

Luna, however, reasoned that the muggles would find out about them sooner or later, once their village expanded. After they had sent the muggles on their way, Harry and Draco had flown over to Woodcroft to see exactly how close it was. It was a small village, but larger than Hogsmeade. They had T.V and the like, and if those muggles talked, the news would spread quickly.

They were sleeping in a tent just outside the Forbidden forest while they were building their home. Hagrid and the creatures were helping them build it, stone by stone. The House elves were even getting a quarters built for them. It wasn't the best time of year to be staying on the grounds, as it was perpetually freezing, but according to the centaurs, they had no choice.

Was this what the centaurs had warned them about? Not the Ministry of Magic, but the muggles? Centaurs were always a bit vague with the details- they'd only said that they needed to be there to protect the forest from those who'd want to use it. They didn't say _who_, exactly, would want to do that.

* * *

Days passed, and there were no signs of the ICW coming to arrest them, nor curious muggles coming to investigate. Harry assumed that Richard and Bernard hadn't talked. Part of him was thankful for that, but another part of him wondered...what would happen if the muggles came?

The Americans were settling into Hogsmeade, and more were joining them. They had officially registered the land as a Magical Sanctuary, with details about what was in the forest. The papers reported that they had the largest number of unicorns and acromantula in the world, as well as threstrals Also, their numbers in the centaur clan was surprisingly high- only the clan in Greece outnumbered them. Their American friends helped them identify a number of the plant species within the forest, but they would need help. They put out an ad in some of the papers.

They were surprised to find an immediate response from some unlikely people. Charlie Weasley came back from Romania, wanting to help. A couple from South America wanted to help as well, and a wizard from China was keen on working in the forest. There was also a witch from Italy as well. Then, Severus Snape came to their front gates.

Kit stared at the man suspiciously. "Why are you here?"

"I've spent a number of years studying that forest, even before you lot came along. I believe I could be of some assistance." The man said stiffly.

"You're not going to report back to Dumbledore about what we're doing here, are you?"

"No."

"How do I know you're not lying?"

The man arched a brow, and Harry sighed. "What about the school?"

Severus frowned. "Hogwarts was my home for the majority of my life. This...new Hogwarts doesn't even compare."

Harry let him in the gates, and showed the man around. Thankfully, the snow had melted for the most part, and green was starting to sprout up again. Centaurs and Houseelves alike were patrolling the grounds. Severus noticed that the house elves no longer wore their tea towels, but a strange combination of fur, feathers, leaves, and sticks. Harry led him to the camp. "You know that's Hagrid's hut, of course. On the left is the Elve's quarters, and on the right is my house that I share with Draco, Luna and Neville."

The man nodded, looking at the houses. Like Hagrid's hut, they were made of stone, with a thatched roof. The elve's quarters were shorter, but longer than the other two, and had two entrances. He also noticed a couple of huts just outside the forest, but they were not mentioned.

. Harry motioned to the bonfire in the camp. "We use that as the floo, since there isn't a fireplace. The other people who are assisting us are staying in Hogsmeade. They do not stay here. You will not be able to stay here, sir."

"That's fine. I have no inclination to sleep outdoors. I have a home to go to."

Harry nodded. "Alright then. We'll make up a contract for you, and you'll discuss your pay with Draco."

"Pay?" Severus raised a brow.

"Of course you'll get paid." The boy said, looking a bit surprised.

"How many do you employ?"

"Well, we have 134 House elves. Oh wait, one of them just had a baby. 135, then. We pay 15 centaurs to guard- the others have either refused payment, or do not stray from their camp. We also have 20 witches and wizards working for us here. We also have a number of other witches and wizards elsewhere that are contracted with us."

He motioned to some elves that were coming from the forest, carrying baskets. "The elves are gatherers. The collect materials from the forest that we need. The witches and wizards that work for us work on a rotating schedule, studying what the elves gather. They'd don't actually go in the forest. If they choose to publish their findings, that's fine with us, but they publish them under our company, and we get a small percentage of the royalties."

Severus' brows rose.

"We also now own many of the shops in Hogsmeade, so they pay rent to us, and shop in our stores. We use the money to fund more building, and fund more research and things."

"Interesting. And what would you like for me to do?"

Harry smiled. "You're a Potions Master, aren't you? Make some brilliant potions with these materials!"

* * *

My 'Canon' Details: These places are mentioned several times throughout my first story, and this sequel.

In the U.S, There were seven secondary magical institutions a witch or wizard could go to, and four Universities. The secondary schools were in Salem, New York, Savannah, Chicago, Baton Rouge, Santa Fe, and Berkley. Their Universities were in Salem, Berkley, Santa Fe, and Providence. There are also labs in Salem, and San Francisco.

For muggle employers, diplomas and resumes were only slightly forged to represent muggle schools.

There are a number of schools abroad, obviously, but I will include more details next time!


	6. Aliens?

Chapter Six

* * *

"I'm telling you, Amy, it was really real!" Richard whispered to his friend. The girl rolled her eyes, elbowing her sister.

"Richard, there's no such thing as magic!" The older of the two girls said. "That's just stuff that they do on the telly."

Richard shook his head. "Dad was there too, he'll tell you."

"Your Daddy drinks." The older girl said with a sniff. "It's not real!" Several kids nearby heard their conversation, and started to come over.

"Did they have magic wands and wear funny hats?" Another boy piped up.

"Yeah, did they all have long beards and say gibberish?"

Richard shook his head, grinning. "No, there were girl witches too, and they didn't have beards. Some of them wore funny clothes, but some of them didn't. Their village was really pretty. They sold brooms!"

Some of the kids laughed. "Do you think they fly on them?"

The kids were on the playground while they were at recess. A teacher nearby noticed a group gathering, and walked over casually to see if there was a fight. The oldest girl spoke up, getting her attention. "I bet Richard's lying again, there's no such thing as magic!"

"Hello children, what are we talking about over here?"

Most of the kids quieted, and Richard spoke up. "My Dad and I found a village over the weekend. It's not too far from here- it's called Hogsmeade. It's a magical village, full of witches and wizards!"

The teacher blinked. She'd heard stories in the past, old wive's tales, about not to go too far into the forest because it was haunted and things. But a magical village?

"You saw this village?"

Richard nodded quickly. "Yeah, they've got thatched roofs, and really nice people there- they don't even have proper roads!"

"Do they even have a school?" The oldest girl sniffed.

"They used to, but it got destroyed somehow. Hey, I don't think I saw any little kids there. Isn't that weird?"

The teacher furrowed her brow. She would have to investigate this.

* * *

Winter turned into spring. It was Saturday night, and many of the older students had returned to Hogsmeade for a visit. Some of the teachers were there, acting as chaparones. Many of them hadn't been to Hogsmeade in a while, and were startled at some of the changes. The destroyed buildings had been rebuilt, better than before, and the abandoned ones were now in use. Also, there seemed to be more people than usual in the little town.

Padma sipped her tea, watching the Hogwart's students roam the streets. She saw her sister among them, and she backed away from the window. Her sister had chosen to go back to school, while she had tested out early that past semester. She was working for the Vita Corporation, as a researcher. The company was headed by her four friends. In addition to their 'official tasks', each of them worked side by side with their employees, doing what needed to get done.

Draco was in charge of finances, and scouting for new properties. Luna was in charge of the newspapers they owned, as well as their publishing company. Neville was in charge of dealing with the staff, and delegating tasks. Harry was in charge of recruiting. There were five departments in all- Magical Text Preservation, Herbology Research, Magical Animal Research, Potions Research, and the MagiTechnology Lab .

Each department had opened offices that spring in Hogsmeade. Magical Text Preservation was actually to gather old texts that had been grown rare over the years, and rewrite them. Many books had been destroyed with Hogwarts, which caused much of their information to be lost. However, gathering texts from the Malfoy, Longbottom, and Lovegood libraries, along with other donated books, they would be able to copy the information down and resell them once they were printed. This department had a team of elves learning how to read and write, to assist them in their work.

Herbology Research was headed by the Couple from South America, Mr. and Mrs. Rivera. Mrs. Rivera was a muggleborn, with a degree in muggle botany, and a Mastery in Herbology. Mr. Rivera had a Mastery in Herbology as well, and had published a number of his findings previously. Some of the naturalists from the English Ministry had joined them, their pay being better at Vita than with the Ministry. Rosalie and her friends worked in this had specific house elves assigned to do their gathering for them, as they were not allowed in the forest. The elves were trained to preserve and care for the plants.

The Potions Research department was headed by Snape. Not many wanted to work with him, except for Hermoine Granger, who was stubborn, and the elves, who would work for anyone.

The Magical Animal Research department was headed by the Chinese wizard, Mr. Hui, who had worked in the Magical Creature Sanctuary of Beijing. He was more of a researcher, so it was co-chaired by Charlie Weasley, who was more of a hands-on sort of guy. Hagrid, of course, worked with them, and was an invaluable asset. They worked with the creatures of the forest, and were the only ones allowed onto the grounds other than the 'Four Guardians' as Harry, Neville, Luna, and Draco were often called.

The MagiTechnology lab had several Americans, and a witch from Beaubaxtons working there. The Twins were often by as well, and had a contract with the company. They were the most experimental of the departments, and their findings were often top-secret. Padma knew that Colin was already working for them, even while he was still a student.

Because of all of these new offices, the local shops flourished, and more jobs became available. Vita Inc. bought a number of cottages, and had their employees live there at a cheaper rent. Because their employees had more money, they often spent more. Which was good for everyone.

Padma was avoiding her sister because she hadn't written her in several months. She'd been terribly busy with her work, and felt bad for not writing. She was in her cottage that she shared with Hermoine, Susan and Daphne.

"Hey, I thought you'd be at the show." Daphne spoke up from the doorway. Padma turned slightly, arching a brow at the girl's clothes. She was wearing a pair of pants, with a muggle t-shirt. It was still so strange to see an uptight once-Slytherin wearing muggle clothing.

"The show?"

"Yeah, Forbidden's playing in the square tonight. Thought you knew."

Padma drained her tea. "I'll see you guys there. I might be a bit late." Daphne gave her a grin, and headed out. Padma hurried up the stairs, and saw Hermoine reading in the study, stacks of books around her.

"You going to the concert tonight?"

"Concert?" The girl echoed, still reading.

"Yeah, Harry and the others are playing."

Hermoine looked up at that. "Are they? I thought they'd be too busy to be doing that stuff anymore."

Padma shrugged. "Apparently not. Are you coming?"

Hermoine looked longingly at her book. "I don't think so. I wanted to get this finished first."

Padma sighed. "Alright then. See you later." She went to her room, and went through her clothes. She picked a pretty red dress, and pulled it on. She pulled her hair back, and put her shoes on. She put some makeup on quickly, and glanced out the window. She could see more people heading into town, so she grabbed her bag and hurried down the stairs.

* * *

Mark Walker was trouble. Well, that's what most of the village said. That he was too nosy for his own good. He'd overheard some of the teachers gossiping one day about some village closeby that no one seemed to know anything about. He even heard some of the older parents whispering about it too. He, being him, told his friends about it, and they decided to go over and see what the fuss was about.

According to some kid that had seen the village, it was to the west, about 10 kilometers away, over some fields. He and his friends piled into his truck, and drove through the fields. As they drove, Mark spoke up. "Hey, I think I see some lights up ahead."

"It's true! There is some village over here! Hey, do you think it's like a government cover up or something? Why would no one really know about this place?" One of his friends guessed.

Mark slowed his truck down, and they heard music. "Hey, they've got music or something going on. Maybe it's like, a hippie commune, full of crazy people."

The teens laughed, and got out of the car. They snuck through the fields and into the town. The street that they found was fairly empty, and the houses were dark, but they could still hear the music, and the lights up ahead.

"C'mon." Mark whispered, and the kids walked up the street. Mark noticed the thatched roofs and the dirt roads, wondering what kind of place this was. Was it some sort of touristy place? No, they would have heard about it.

The buildings grew closer, and they noticed the lights grew brighter, and the music louder. Mark paused as he saw a pretty girl walk out of one of the cottages, and hurry towards the music.

"Oh, she's pretty, look at that bum!" One of his mates whistled. Mark nudged his friend, and followed the girl.

They followed her up the street, and the girl seemed to notice she was being followed. She glanced over her shoulder, and Mark stopped, blushing. She was hella pretty, he realized. She looked at them curiously.

"Is there a concert or something?" One of his friends called out.

The girl nodded, studying them, probably trying to recognize them. Mark walked up. "So, who's playing?"

The girl started to walk again. "Kit and the others. Forbidden. I don't think I've seen you around before." They walked into a crowded square, full of people. They were mostly all adults and teens, and were standing around and talking. The music was playing from a weird device on the stage- the band wasn't there yet, apparently.

The girl waved to some people she apparently knew, and turned back to Mark. Mark just gave her a sheepish grin. "We're not from around here."

"Oh!" She smiled. "Are you checking out Vita?"

"Are you Vita?" Mark said with a charming grin. The girl's eyes widened, and she looked down shyly. Mark took the opportunity to check her out a bit more. She filled out that dress pretty nicely.

"I'm Padma. Padma Patil. Vita is a Research company. We get people coming here all the time who are looking for work from the company. I just...assumed..." She trailed off.

"Padma's a nice name." His friends walked off, probably to explore some more, bored with him chatting up another girl. "So, Padma, you work for this company?"

She nodded quickly. "In their research department."

"Pretty and smart!" Mark grinned. 'and older too.' He assumed.

A boy climbed up on stage, a short sandy haired thing, wearing jeans and a t-shirt. He started to set up the mikes and things.

"He seems kind of small for a roadie."

The girl looked at him strangely. "That's Colin Creevey. He often works with them on their equipment. Well, he and his brother do. They should be up on stage soon." She said excitedly, turning to look up on stage.

Mark watched her face. "You a fan?"

She nodded. "I guess so. I mean, I went to school with them too."

"Cool."

He watched the boy jump off the stage, and shortly after, four people came up. The stage had darkened, so he couldn't really see them clearly. Then the lights came on, and his eyes widened. Up and front was a dark haired girl that was wicked hot. She was wearing a black leather jacket, jeans, and a sweater. She looked a bit too goth for his tastes, but she still looked good. The blonde at her side was hot too, but he didn't really go for blondes. The two guys were cool, but his eyes kept going back to this Padma standing right next to him.

They started to play, and he held his hand out to her. "Dance, any?"

Padma grinned, and took his hand.

* * *

It seemed as though they had danced for hours, or maybe minutes, before his friends came up to them with wide eyes.

"Mark, dude, we have to get out of here!"

Mark looked at them a bit confusedly. "What? Did you guys get into trouble?"

Padma pulled away from him, looking a little worried.

"No! Come on, we need to get going!"

Mark looked plaintively at Padma. "Sorry, gotta split. Uhm...you'll be here if I come around again?"

The girl smiled, and nodded. "It was nice meeting you, Mark."

Mark gave her a dopey grin, and his friends dragged him away. The boys practically sprinted back down the street, heading out of the town.

"What the hell is going on?" He exclaimed, hurrying after them. "So help me if you broke into some place-"

"No, no, shit, there was some sort of creature! It was tiny and squeaky, and it had big eyes-"

"What the hell-"

"And it asked us if it could do anything for us, and-"

"It was a friggin' alien! I bet they're all a bunch of aliens-"

Mark frowned. "I think you guys are yankin' my chain. I was talking to that hot girl back there, and you had to ruin it. I didn't even get her number."

"She's an alien, just like the rest of them." One of his friends exclaimed frantically, and as they reached the edge of the forest, they heard hooves nearby. Mark stopped in shock, and his friends kept running.

A half man-half horse creature was staring him down, with red feathers in his hair. One of the short creatures with big eyes was riding his back. Mark stepped back just slightly, while the rest of his friends ran off.

"What are you doing, human?" The horse creature asked. "The concert is the other way."

"I...I..." Mark stepped back. He heard his truck engine start, and he cursed his friends silently. They were just going to leave him here? What the hell? He never should have left his keys in the truck.

"What are you?" He whispered, stumbling back as the creatures advanced.

The horse like creature seemed to cock his head. "I am a centaur, and my name is Firenze. My elf friend here is Binkie."

Mark couldn't help but laugh at the little creature's name. The little creature frowned. "Why is you laughing?" Mark laughed harder at the creature's high pitched voice.

"I'm sorry, I just...is this a joke or something?"

The horse like creature, a centaur, he supposed, looked to the stars. He tilted his head, and Mark looked up as well. It was just... he was looking up, the creature grabbed him by the pulled away quickly with a frown.

"Human, come with us." The centaur. "Your friends, will they return?"

Mark shrugged. "They left me here. Said you guys were aliens or something. Are you?"

"What are those?" The small creature squeaked. Mark fought to keep from laughing again. They walked back into the village. They went through some streets, avoiding the main square for some reason. They headed up a wide road, into a forest. Mark got a little scared. He stared up at the monstrous gates.

"Hogwarts...what's that?"

"Nothing, anymore. It used to be a school. Inside." Mark went inside, and he looked around. Some of the trees and plants looked a bit odd. This used to be a school? Was it like the X-men school or something? That would explain these weird things...

They went to a clearing, where there was a bonfire roaring. Mark noticed that there were more of the centaurs and the little elf creatures walking about, and many of them were staring at him oddly. Mark was shoved to sit down on a log by the fire.

"Wait here." The centaur ordered, and the elf hopped off of his back. He sat there for a moment, looking around. More of those centaurs, and they didn't look friendly. A little elf dressed in leaves approached him with a tray. He'd half expected it to have alien food or something, but no, it just had some fruits and berries.

"Human sir? You is hungry?" The little thing squeaked. He thought it could have been nodded and accepted the food.

He was halfway through the food when he heard laughter in the distance, and talking. His eyes widened, and he dropped a berry onto the tray when he saw those people from the band walking towards him, talking to one of the little elf creatures, and to the centaur that brought him here. With them, were several other people, including the pretty girl he'd danced with.

Padma stared at him in surprise. "Mark, what are you doing here?"

"You know this human?"

Mark stood, upending his tray. "What's going on here?"

The others exchanged a look, and the dark haired guitarist extended her hand. "I'm Kit. Nice to meet you."

He didn't take her hand. He looked to Padma. "This...creature brought me here, and one of those little elf things brought me food, what the hell are they?"

Kit lowered her hand, and her smile fell. "Mark, right?"

Mark looked to her. She laced her fingers together. "Our friends here are Firenze, who is a centaur, and Binkie is an elf. What do you know of magic?"

"Are you lot even human?" He asked. Padma looked hurt at this, and he instantly felt bad for some reason.

"Yes. We are. We're witches and wizards- magical humans. The village you are in is called Hogsmeade." The blonde guitarist from earlier spoke. He sat down slowly, trying to take it all in.

"What?"

Padma sat next to him. "So...when you said you weren't from around here..."

"I'm from Woodcroft."

"Merlin, he's a muggle!" The blonde boy exclaimed. "Another one!" He shoved his finger towards kit. "I told you we should haven't told those others the truth!" He glared at Mark. "Who else knows?"

"My...my friends. But they left me here." Mark said, feeling a bit shaken. Was he dreaming? He had to be. Padma took his hand, peering at him.

"Mark...we're not supposed to tell people about this place." She paused. "Do you think you could keep your friends from telling anyone?"

He stared at her, getting lost in her pretty eyes. "You're going to let me go?"

"We should obliviate him." The blonde boy hissed, and Mark grew alarmed.

"You're going to blow me up? What the-" Padma shook her head quickly, glaring at the blonde boy.

"No Mark. We're not going to do that." She squeezed his hand. "I'll take you back to your village, okay?" She stood. "Can I borrow your broom, Kit?"

He stared at the ground, trying to take all of it in. Was magic really real?

* * *

Wow, wonder what they're going to do now, eh?

Check out this sketch I drew of Luna: (without the spaces in the url)

http:/ hecateslover . deviantart . com /#/d3989le


	7. Leading up to

I'm sorry about the wait guys, but real life got in the way. Thanks for reading.

Chapter Seven

* * *

"We have a problem." Harry said, addressing his employees. They were at the front gates of the forest. The centaurs and elves were all gathered behind him, while his human employees were all in front of him. Neville, Draco, and Luna were all standing on the platform next to him. Neville's arms were crossed over his chest, his mouth set in a thin line. He was well aware of the ramifications of muggles 'invading' Hogsmeade. Luna looked as serene as ever, hopeful that things would turn out alright. Draco was glowering at Harry, understandably pissed. If they'd just obliviated the muggles in the first place, they wouldn't be having this problem now.

"As you all know muggles have been getting curious about our village, and instead of obliviating them, we have only let them go. Now, I know that it is a serious breach of the Statute of Secrecy, but unfortunately, it has already been done. Luna went to Woodcroft to see if the town was saying anything about our little village. Many people in the town are now well aware of it- they're even having meetings! She said that some more of the villagers plan to come here and see Hogsmeade for themselves. What I would like to ask all of you, is what can we do about this?"

People were silent for a long moment, thinking hard about what could be done.

Luna spoke gently. "Some of the muggles think that our village is a...tourist attraction that hasn't opened to the public yet. They believe that our centaurs and elves are just special affects and costumes. They believe that our magic is just a special affect- that it's not real. Of course, some of the children think otherwise, but the adults clearly don't believe them."

Harry thought about it. He remembered a trip with Sirius to Disneyland when they'd gone to the U.S for the first time.

He also thought about being in Azkaban for a major breach in the Statute of Secrecy.

"No matter what we do, we risk the muggles finding out about our magic. We risk breaking the Statute of Secrecy. We need to go to the Ministry and either have the muggles obliviated, or speak with the Ministry of Magic and open Hogsmeade up to muggles under the pretense of Hogsmeade being a tourist attraction."

"What is a tourist attraction?" One of the wizards in the crowd queried.

"Muggles have areas all across the globe, entertainment venues, called theme parks. A good thing about opening the village up to muggles is that they would spend their money in the village, and we would also have easier access to their technology."

Firenze spoke up from behind Harry.

"The muggles could be dangerous."

"Yes, they could be. But we cannot make a decision ourselves- we must let the Ministry know. I will take the full blame for this, none of you will get in trouble. Understand?"

* * *

Harry watched the Minister's face change various colors.

"Muggles got into Hogsmeade? Are you sure? What about the wards?"

"Gone, apparently after the various attacks from last year. What I'd like to know is if our village shows up on the muggle sattelites and things as well. We may not have a choice of hiding Hogsmeade, if that's the case."

The Minister turned to his worried looking minions. "Gawain, go check our intelligence."

Harry's lips thinned. "It might be necessary to inform the muggle goverment what's going on. If we don't take care of this now, it could get to the news. And the ICW could get a hold of this."

the Minister turned to a portrait in his office worriedly. "I...I suppose I could talk to the Prime Minister of the muggles about this. Does Dumbledore know yet?"

"No. What does he have to do with this?" Harry replied evenly.

"If it comes to us meeting the ICW, we may need his support." The Minister stood. "I will talk to the Muggle Prime Minister now, and see what we can do."

Harry gawked as the man walked right through the portrait. Just a few minutes later, a blushing Minister came back.

"He's asking for _you_."

* * *

The Prime Minister leant back in his chair, watching the strange man in front of his desk blubbering like a child. However, the teenager that sat next to him looked a bit disgusted at this man's behavior.

"Minister...why don't you go to your office and collect yourself. I'll send Mr. Potter along soon enough."

Harry studied the Prime Minister calmly, watching the man's body language. The Minister of Magic left, leaving them alone for the time being. The man had already known about Hogsmeade. How?

"You already knew."

The Prime Minister nodded. "I did. Now, are you the same Harry Potter that defeated that Voldemort fellow?"

Harry nodded, smiling slightly. "My friends and I did, yes."

"You're younger than I expected. Just how old are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

Harry blushed. "Seventeen."

The man's brows raised. The boy in front of him didn't look any older than fourteen. Did all wizards age this way?

"Your Minister tells me that you live in this...Hogsmeade. Tell me about it."

Harry nodded quickly. "We've got a number of shops and businesses there, as well as some cottages. We're actually adding to the village. With the attacks from Voldemort last spring, we had to rebuild. But people are coming back from abroad, and since we have cheaper rent than many of the other wizarding homes available, people are flocking to us."

"Hmm." The Minister dug through his bottom drawer, and pulled out a red file. "Our Satellites picked up imagery of your village- it just seemed to appear out of the blue, one day. We've been investigating it , and of course, we found no records of a village outside Woodcroft. I thought it possible that it may have been...your sort's, so I made it classified. Of course, a few select men are aware of the village. Now, what seems to be the problem?"

Harry bit his lip. "The problem is, sir, that Hogsmeade is the only all-wizarding village in Britain. It's been hidden for the past thousand years, and now it's suddenly appeared to outsiders. We can't obliviate your men, nor can we obliviate the entire village of Woodcroft- we just don't have the resources."

"Obliviate?" The Prime Minister questioned, furrowing his brow.

"Um...wiping their memories." Harry said quietly.

"Your sort can do that?" The Minister sounded alarmed.

"Yes, but we have a special department that does that, and it's perfectly safe-"

"I'm not having my constituent's memories blasted away by some wand-happy teenager-"

Harry's jaw dropped. "Sir!" He cut in. "I assure you, I do not want to do that. I'm all for letting the muggles know, and having them keep their memories-"

The man stood. "But that Minister wants to, doesn't he?"

"I don't know." Harry said quietly. "And it really isn't up to us. It's for the ICW to decide."

"ICW?"

"The International Confederation of Wizards. You see, by allowing non magical people in on the secret of Hogsmeade, we are breaking the Statute of Secrecy. I don't have any control over what happens- I'm only a Junior representative. It's just a title, and I can't do much with it."

"I want to meet this ICW." The Prime Minister said heatedly. "Does your lot do this in other countries too?"

"I...um, believe so. I was under the impression you knew what was going on." Harry felt bad for putting the man in this position.

"What else are you lot hiding? Brain washing? Hypnotism? What?"

Harry paled. Merlin help him, he needed to handle this properly or they were going to have another witch hunt on their hands.

"Believe me, my friends and I do nothing of the sort. Most witches and wizards have never even been to the muggle world, let alone seen a muggle. They're just as scared of muggles as muggles would be of them."

"That Voldemort fellow was killing my people left and right, and-"

"He was the exception. Not all of us are like him. Believe me, I know." Harry placated, seeing the man slowly calm down."Sir, before you jump the gun, so to speak, please let me contact the President of the Magical United States. I'm friends with his son, and I believe he might be able to help you. I know our own Minister is...lacking in explanations and the sort, but I've met Mr. Smith, and he's the sort of level-headed fellow we need right now."

"Okay." The man looked at him expectantly, and Harry blushed.

"I have to send him a letter- or contact him through the floo. We haven't quite advanced to using phones, yet."

The Prime Minister looked at him oddly. Harry smiled. "We're working on it."

* * *

"This emergency meeting of the International Confederation of Wizards has begun! Everyone settle down now, please."

The hall was filled with anxious looking witches and wizards, talking about the latest news- a wizarding village had been uncovered by the muggles!

They debated for hours on what to do. Finally, the American representative spoke.

"I believe we should let the muggles in. They already think the village is an entertainment venue of sorts- they will not believe what is happening is actually real."

"But this is a major breach of our International Secrecy Act, and-"

"You Americans just want all of us to mix together- you lot are a whole bunch of muggle lovers anyways-"

"SILENCE!" Dumbledore roared. Everyone went silent. The Headmaster stood calmly before the rabble.

"Now, I do believe their proposal is sound. Certain areas of the village will be protected from the muggles- they will not have access. We will station our Aurors there. If there are any problems, we will escort the muggles out. I...believe that the muggles could bring some business to the village, and help our economy. As the village is small, and not many muggles are aware of it, perhaps this could be an experiment. To see how muggles react to us." He twinkled. "After all, the muggle world has changed greatly over the past few centuries."

"If they pose any danger to us, we obliviate them immeadiately!" Someone yelled.

"Yeah-"

Debate continued for several more hours.

* * *

Harry stood in front of the ICW, scared out of his mind.

"Mr. Potter, we have come to a decision." The Headmaster began, smiling slightly. "We will permit muggles to go into the village. The grounds and the Forbidden Forest will be off limits, of course, but the rest of the village will be open to them. Are we in agreement?"

"Yes sir." Harry spoke hesitantly. "Since the company I am part of owns the majority of the buildings in the village, we've come up with some plans to make them muggle friendly. They will never know that magic is actually real. Any of you are welcome to come to the village-" He raised his voice, speaking to the members of the ICW. "And take a look around before we 'open' it to the public."

He hesitated. "I have spoke with the Muggle Prime Minister, and he would like a tour of the village as well, before it opens. Perhaps...it might be a good idea for all of you to meet with him, and your muggle counterparts. Muggle technology advances every day, and sooner or later, we will be completely exposed." He raised his hands to quiet their questions.

"I think that opening this village to the muggles will expose them to our culture, so that they won't be so surprised when the time comes. This will allow them to explore our world in a controlled setting, where we can make sure that they do not find anything that we do not want them to find. Yes?"

* * *

"I don't like this." Draco said, watching the construction of the parking lot just outside the village. "It's ugly, and I don't want the muggles here."

"We have no choice." Neville said quietly. "The muggles were already aware of us even before we said a thing."

"And don't you want to make more money?" Harry pointed out.

Draco sighed roughly, and Luna clasped his shoulder. "Please, Draco, don't be mad."

"It's disrupting the entire village- all the shops are having to muggle-proof things- we shouldn't have to hide our magic."

"We aren't. Not entirely." Harry said with a smile. "That's what is going to bring them in."

They watched a contingent of Goblins gather around the gates. The muggles would exchange their money for galleons at the gates, like they would do at a fair. The Goblins would be making a hefty profit on this, if they played their cards right. The gates themselves were similar to the ones that were in front of Hogwarts' grounds. In iron, they spelt out the words _Hogsmeade_: _Founded in 1012_

Harry watched house elves post signs up by the gates, instructing the muggles to leave their cell phones and other gadgets outside the gates, as the 'magic' could make them malfunction. They also posted the rules- no one was allowed to carry weapons, alcohol, drugs, cameras, or recording devices within the village would only be open to the public from 10AM to 5PM during the week, and on the weekends, from 8AM to 9PM.

When the parking lot was constructed, the buildings were muggle-proofed, the tours began.

Harry hated this part. Question after question from concerned wizards and witches. He was the one in charge of tours, essentially the 'face' of this whole thing. The others were busy with preparations, and keeping up with the business side of things.

The muggle prime minister came to visit with his family, along with the American Minister of Magic. The two of them got on quite well, actually. Adam Smith seemed to be a godsend to Harry, and helped him convince the Prime Minister that this could be a way of introducing the muggle and magical world to one another, in a controlled setting.

After all, select muggles already knew about the magical world- muggleborn's parents, the Prime Minister's men, and the villagers who'd already discovered the village.

The village would be open to the public, as long as the businesses were legally registered in the muggle and magical world.

* * *

Draco scowled at the stacks of paperwork around him. "It's not fair, having to give taxes to both the Muggles and our Ministry, and all these fees and stupid paperwork that the muggles have us fill out!"

Luna kissed his cheek, hugging him from behind. "Darling, think of all the money the muggles will be giving us, and all the research opprotunities. Anyways, now that Vita is registered as a muggle company, we can start doing things there too." She pointed out.

"But why do I have to do all the paperwork,and you guys get to do all the fun stuff?"

Luna giggled. "But you're so good at it!"

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, Lu. I'm serious."

She kissed his pouting lips, running a hand through his blonde hair. "Draco, we could always hire someone to do the paperwork. A muggle for the muggle side, and a magical person for the magical side of things. Despite how fantastic you are, our holdings are just too much."

"At least the Goblins are keeping track of the money. It's just...I know that if I do it, it will be done correctly."

"But spreading yourself too thin will allow for more mistakes. Tell you what, I'll look for someone in the muggle world, and you can find someone here in the wizarding world that would be available to work with us."

Draco glanced around their sitting room. "Where is Neville and Harry?"

Luna giggled. "Oh, they're...busy."

Draco's brow rose. "Oh?" She grabbed his hand, and tugged him away from his paperwork, leading him to the bedroom.

* * *

He was mad. Yeah, that had to be it. He couldn't get that girl out of his head. Mark Walker had never felt this way about a girl before. Padma certainly was beautiful, and he'd never met anyone like her before.

He was crazy to be doing this, after what had happened last time, but he had snuck back to that Hogsmeade village again. Funnily enough, he found that they were constructing a road that lead to one of the main roads in the area. So...maybe this wasn't going to be a super secret research facility anymore?

He waded through the long grass, stopping short as he saw some sort of creatures up at the front gates. They were sitting in booths, talking to each other in a funny language. He frowned, and straightened his shoulders.

All the creatures looked his way, and he fought to keep from turning back around. "Hullo."

One of the creatures spoke up, obviously repeated a speech it had memorized. "Welcome to Hogsmeade. This village was founded in 1012; only opening to the public just recently. Your money cannot work here, but we can exchange it for you for a small fee..." It smirked, showing off some sharp fangs, extending it's clawed hand.

"Uh..." Mark held out a wad of cash. "I've only got a bit..."

"No matter." The Goblin held the bills up to the light, eyes narrowing, and tucked it into a drawer. He handed Mark a few fat golden coins, a couple of bronze ones, and some silver ones.

"Those are galleons, sickles, and knuts. There will be a chart at each shop to help you with the conversion rates."

"Er...thank you." Mark walked towards the gates, which opened on their own. He shuddered, thinking it was a bit creepy. He walked around, looking about. People dressed in...normal clothes, and funny looking robes were walking around, shopping, carrying about their business. He stopped short as he saw Padma talking to a Chinese man, standing on the corner.

He walked closer, curious.

"Mr. Hui, I think we could be a bit more productive in our division if we included some northern species of plants that did not require sunlight- we could keep them inside, saving room in our greenhouses."

"Ai, I will speak to Mr. Longbottom about it. Thank you, Padma, that is certainly a good idea. Not many greenhouses focus on-" He stopped short, catching sight of Mark. "Who are you?"

Padma turned, and blinked in surprise.

"Hi Padma." Mark said shyly.

Padma flushed furiously, and Hui chuckled to himself. "I'll see you after lunch, Padma."

"Yes sir." She called after the man that was walking away. She looked back to Mark. "How did you get here? The road hasn't been finished yet. Luna hasn't even finished the advertisements."

"Oh...I...er walked here. I wanted to see you again."

Padma looked away, looking rather nervous. After she'd flown Mark back to Woodcroft, they'd talked a bit more, and she'd found that he was rather interesting. For a muggle. And rather attractive too.

"Oh. Well, I'm on my lunch break. I was just about to go back home...would you like to have lunch with me?"

Mark grinned. "Sure."

Arriving to the house, Mark met her roommates, Hermione, Daphne, and Susan. Hermione worked for the Potions Research department, while Daphne worked in Finances, and Susan worked with the Magical Text Preservation department. The girls teased him and Padma about each other, and left them alone to finish their lunch.

"This is really good."

"Oh...it's only leftovers. Susan's a good cook. The rest of us are actually pretty terrible at it."

"So...um, you like living here?"

Padma nodded quickly. "I do. My sister and I went to the school here, before it was destroyed. She goes to New Hogwarts in Bristol, now."

Mark smirked, and teased her. "Is your sister as pretty as you are? I've got a younger brother..."

Padma giggled. "We're twins, but we're not anything alike."

"Oh. So...I was thinking, maybe we could go on a date sometime. Or two. I mean, you could show me Hogsmeade, and I could show you Woodcroft."

Padma reached for his hand across the table. "I'd like that."

* * *

Luna looked proudly at the advertisements, nodding to herself. "These look great, everyone!" She put all the ads into a file folder. They were in the fledgling offices of the Hogsmeade Hail, a sister paper to the Quibbler. The Hogsmeade Hail and the Quibbler were just one of many newspapers that were owned by Vita's publishing company, MagiPress.

While the Quibbler reported on muggle and magical things throughout the world, the Hogsmeade Hail focused on events occuring within the village- not just Vita business, but employee's birthdays, birth announcements, shop sales, and the like. It also helped the departments keep track of what was going on outside of their department.

However, Luna was going to the muggle world today, to put in a few of their advertisments into their newspapers. The road had just finished construction two days before hand, and the village was finally ready. She apparated to Woodcroft, in an alley way. She transfigured her dress into something a bit more appropriate for a muggle office, and pulled her hair back. She took a cab to a newspaper office.

"Hullo."

The man at the desk stared at her, mouth dropped as he continued to hold the phone to his ear. "...I'll call you back Steve. Yeah. Uh huh. Yeah. Alright. Later." He then hung up, and looked her up and down. "Have I seen you before?"

Luna blinked. She hadn't been expecting that. "I don't believe so..."

"Oh." He sounded dissapointed. "So, how can I help you today?"

"I'd like to talk to someone in your advertising department, please." She held up her file. "I have some advertisements for a business I'd like to put in your paper.'

"Oh...uh, take the elevator to the third floor, and turn left. I'll uh...let Mr. Roy know you're on your way."

"Thank you!" Luna chirped, while the man punched in a few numbers on his phone. As she walked away, he began to speak.

"Hey Greg. Sorry, I know you said not to bother you, but there's a girl that's going to be visiting your office. Says she has some ads she wants to put in the paper. How old? Uh...kind of young. Why? Oh yeah, she's definitely cute. I dunno what she was advertising for, but with a body like that, well-"

Luna knocked on an office door- a Mr. Roy was printed on the name plate.

"Come in, come in."

She walked in, smiling as she saw a rather messy office and a man standing at his desk. He was rather good looking, if a bit haphazardly dressed.

"So, you must be the girl. You have some advertisements for me?" She did not notice how his eyes went up and down her body. While wearing a suit, it fit her tightly, and looked rather good on her.

"Yes- here-" She handed the file over, and he stopped looking at her long enough to take a look at them.

"Huh. These are pretty good. Hey, wait, this is for that Hogsmeade village!"

Luna smiled. "Yes, it is. We're opening it to the public, now. The official opening weekend will be next week."

"This is great! Hey, you think we could send a reporter over there for the opening weekend?"

"I don't see why not. I'll have to speak with the others first, of course, but-"

"What's your name again?"

Luna just smiled. "Sorry. I'm Luna Lovegood." He shook her hand briskly, all business now.

"I'm Greg Roy. Tell you what, I'll put the full page ad up if we could send a reporter there _this_ week, and we'll give you a discounted rate for the ads for the next two weeks. What do you say?" He asked this, knowing that this news would sell a lot of papers.

"That would be fabulous."

Greg leaned back in his chair, grinning. "So, you work at the village?"

Luna nodded. "I do."

"You work with their press?"

"Among other things. I'm multi-talented."

Of course, his mind being the gutter, he took this the wrong way. "I see." He smirked. She was oblivious.

"Well, I suppose I should get going, then. Could we arrange for you to send the reporter on Thursday? We have something special going on that night, for the employees. Perhaps they would like to come and see."

"...Of course. May I come as well?"

"I don't see why not. Thank you for doing business with us, sir." She said with a grin, and walked out.

Greg ran a hand through his hair. "Wow. I hope all the girls at this village are as good looking as her."

* * *

Renni was a good elf, she really was. She wanted to do her best, but she was having trouble. Their Lead elf, Dippy, was being mad at her.

"Elfling, you is spelling it wrong again!"

"I is sorry, Lead Dippy, I is trying better!" She cried.

There were a team of twelve elves sitting on the top floor of the Magical Text Preservation building. Each of them had an old tome in front of them, and were practicing their letters while copying the texts.

"You is being bad, elfling, you is be helping Bane with his washing tonight!" Renni was horrified at the prospect. Bane was the meanest of the centaurs, and he hated it when the elves came near him.

"No! Please, I is doing better!"

Renni didn't want to be kicked again by Bane. She was only a little elfling, one of the youngest in their group.

"You best be practicing." Dippy turned to the others. "All of youse be better working, or youse will get clothes!" All the elves shuddered, pens writing threat was empty, since none of them technically had Masters anymore, but the reaction was still there.

* * *

Richard was terribly excited. He was tugging his Father behind him as they walked through the parking lot. It was a good thing they had arrived early, because the parking lot was filling up fast. The villagers of Woodcroft were excited to do something new, and after the article in the newspaper, they couldn't wait to go to Hogsmeade.

The boy and his Father waited in line at the gates, so their money could be converted. The creatures at the gates were a bit scary, but kind of happy looking. Richard guessed (correctly) that they liked lots of money. This was going to be the best day ever!

"Come on Dad, I want to see if they've got a broom shop! Jenny reckons she saw somebody flying on a broom last week!"

* * *

So...here you go. Sorry about the really, really long wait. I've been working on all of my stories, and I've been terribly busy with Real Life.  
I hope you guys like this chapter- I rewrote it like four times. Please review!


	8. Uh? Okay? CORRECTED

Here's the corrected Chapter Eight. Sorry about the confusion guys- I changed the ending of this chapter. I made a bad error- a combination of taking too much time between writing stories, a bad habit of deleting entire passages, and just plain...confusion. Everything's corrected now.

* * *

"Bloody hell, we've made a lot of money this weekend." Draco murmured, looking over the sales figures.

"I told you." Harry said with grin, sitting down in Neville's lap. A pile of papers were on the table in front of them, showing the figures for the opening weekend. Each of the shop managers had submitted it that evening- it was rather late.

"So...muggles normally spend this much?"

"Oh, well, I'm not sure. I know at muggle theme parks they spend lots of money. But the villagers probably won't be able to come every weekend." Harry pointed out. "Just once in a while."

"So...how do we get more of them in?"

Luna hummed to herself, leaning back in her chair. "Well, we've already put the ads out in the papers, and we've got access to a main road. I'm surprised that the parking lot filled up so quickly."

Neville spoke up. "Hey, do you think we could use the Hogwarts Express?"

They all stared at him.

"It's just sitting there at the station, gathering dust. It hasn't been used since the school was destroyed. New Hogwarts doesn't use it." He shrugged. "That way, people will have a way to the village, and they won't have to drive all the way here."

"It's a very good idea." Draco made a note. "We should speak to the Ministry about it."

"And the Headmaster." Harry sighed. "We need to know if New Hogwarts is planning on using the train."

The others sighed as well, frowning.

* * *

Harry and Neville stared around at the school around them. The Headmaster and McGonagall were in front of them, leading them through the corridors. New Hogwarts was...rather sad looking, in comparison to the real thing.

McGonagall looked over her shoulder, and turned. "I know it's not the same." She said quietly. "But these kids have got to learn magic somewhere." She gave them a sad smile. "Come, let's go to the Great Hall."

They jogged after the Professors, and Harry asked. "Sir, are you planning on using the Hogwarts express again?"

The Headmaster blinked in supise. "Oh...no. As you can see, we haven't built any dorms yet. In fact, the Minister has proposed that we do not. The children have gotten used to going home every night by Floo, and so have their parents. As a matter of fact, it cut down on our costs greatly, so we may not."

"Oh...so...you won't need the Hogwarts Express?" Harry asked hopefully.

"I don't think so. Why do you ask, my boy?"

Harry and Neville exchanged a look. "Well, we were thinking about using the Hogwarts Express as an access way to get to Hogsmeade. For the muggles."

Dumbledore looked thoughtful. "You'll have to open up Platform 9 3/4 to them."

Harry nodded. "We know. It's just...we're getting alot of people coming into the village, and we don't have the space for parking, or for the potential traffic coming up the road."

"Hmm, and interesting idea. I could speak with the Minister, and-"

"Draco and Luna are at the Ministry now." Neville cut in. "We just wanted to know what your thoughts was about this."

"Well, I'm sure that the Ministry will come to the same conclusion I did." He nodded to himself. "Now, since the Express is the property of Hogwarts, we have the rights to charge for the tickets and the like. Perhaps the funds can help the school."

"Yes sir." Harry and Neville said quietly. They couldn't really argue with that.

"Of course, the train could be easily spelled to go faster, so we'll just need to work on it a bit."

"Wait...so why did you guys make the train ride so long if it didn't have to be?" Neville asked.

McGonagall answered, with a grin. "To give the students time to get to know each other before they arrived at the school. Come along boys, there's much more to see."

* * *

Padma bit her lip, eyes closing as Mark kissed her neck. They were sitting in the back of his truck, in a Woodcroft drive in. They hadn't been watching the film for over twenty minutes, and they probably would miss the rest. His hands were all over her. If her parents knew, they would be horrified to know about this. Hell, Parvati would be terribly jealous. Was it normal for muggle teenagers to be so forward?

"Don't be shy, Padma." Mark murmured, hand squeezing her breast. "You're so beautiful, my little witch."

Her face heated up at the pet name. They'd been...dating for a few weeks now, and she had never met a boy that could make her so loved to learn about her, and watch her cast magic. She had fun driving around with him in his truck, learning all sorts of things about the muggle world she never knew about. It spoke to her her Ravenclaw side...it helped that he was a cute boy, helping her learn all these things.

"Mark...don't be silly."

"It's true. You're beautiful, with those dark eyes and hair, and your beautiful skin..." She felt herself being pushed down onto the seat, him pinning her down. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Oh, to hell with it. Nobody had ever made her feel this way. So what if her parents wanted to get her married off to some pureblooded cousin in India? Everyone had always paid attention to Parvati- but no one had ever looked at her like this-

She kissed him back, and felt his hands slide under her blouse. "Don't stop." She groaned, squirming against him.

"Oh, I won't."

* * *

Mark Owens spat out his coffee as he saw a newspaper article. He saw a picture of those lovely girls and he knew right away who they were.

_Hogsmeade Village Music Scene_

_I'm sure all of you have heard about the new attraction called Hogsmeade Village. It's a mythical place full of wonderment and fun for adults and kids alike. Sure, they've got some wicked gadgets and yummy food, but have you heard their music? This picture was taken by one of their people at a show on Friday night. While there are various performers wandering the streets, mostly these...creatures that everyone seems to be talking about, this band is what everyone is talking about the most!_

_Forbidden consists of two guys and two girls. The lovely blondes are Luna (Lu), and Draco, while the brunettes are Nev and Kit. We don't know much about them, but they can sing! We asked them a few questions after the show, to find out more. Turns out, they've been together as a band for a few years now, and their first performance space was at the Black Box in London. Hey, you guys might have seen them around before!_

_They actually made their own instruments, can you believe it? They sing their own songs, in addition to covers by 'muggle' bands as they call them. Kit writes lyrics for the band, and is the lead singer. She's got a good sound, soulful, something you don't hear a lot of nowadays. While the others sing as well, she is the frontwoman. All of them play various instruments, switching off during the show. They're very talented!  
_

_Well, many say that there is something magical about Hogsmeade, and I can't help but agree when I listen to their music. They've got a unique sound, something that isn't quite rock, jazz, or classical. It's just... magical, as cheesy as it is to say. It turns out that the teens grew up in the area, and their band is actually named after the forest that lies on the outskirts of the village. They're very popular with the other villagers, and often have private performances just for the employees! _

_I asked if they were employees of Vita Inc, which owns many of the properties within the village. They did admit to working with the company, but did not give me any more details. This curious company came out of the blue, it seems, and no one (muggles, that is) seems to know about it. But that's for the Business section to cover. _

_So, I recommend you guys to go check out the band! They play every Friday night in Hogsmeade. It's a show you'll never forget. _

Mark Owens threw his paper down onto his desk, pulling his jacket on. "Momo! I'm goin' out!"

* * *

"All Aboard! All Aboard! All those taking the Hogsmeade Express! All Aboard!" The conductor called out. Carl, the Conductor, was a wizard that worked for the Hogsmeade Express. He stood outside Platform 9 3/4, ringing a bell in his hand. He wore an old fashioned red conductor's outfit. Muggles stared at him as he passed. Soon enough, puzzled muggles came his way.

"Well, hullo there."

A man and his two children, along with his wife, stood uncertainly in front of him. "Were the papers correct in saying that the Platform was 9 and 3/4? Is this some sort of joke?" The man asked.

"No joke, good sir, all you have to do is walk through this wall here."

The man looked uncertainly at the wall. Other muggles started to gather.

"I don't know..."

His wife sniffed. "Don't be a chicken, Ray. I'll do it." And with that, the woman walked right through the wall. The muggles surrounding them gasped, and someone took a picture of the wall.

"I wanna do it Daddy!" The girl yelled, and the boy tugged on his hand.

"...alright." And the man lead them through. The other muggles pressed forward, and the Conductor stopped them.

"Form a line, single file please! You'll be able to buy your tickets on the platform! Now, please, just walk through, don't be nervous-"

June and her brother looked around the train with wide eyes. Their parents were looking rather startled as well. The train was gorgeous on the inside just as much as it was on the outside. All of the compartments had plushy seats and wide windows, with big shelves for luggage up above. It was all very old fashioned looking, and so...magical!

"Do you really think we'll get to see a witch or a wizard Mummy?" June asked.

"I believe so, dear, that Platform was very magical!" Her mum said with a wink to her Father. It was probably an optical allusion, they reasoned.

"This is gonna be so cool!" Her brother said, bouncing on his seat with excitement. Their Father caught him expertly as the compartment door opened.

"Any more room?" Another family stood at the door.

"Sure!" June chirped, and the two kids moved to sit by their parents. She smiled at the little girl. "I'm June, and this is my little brother Ben, and this is my Mummy and Daddy."

"Hi. I'm Ellie." The other girl said shyly.

After proper introductions were made, and everyone was seated, they began to move. Everyone talked about Hogsmeade excitedly, talking about the articles and advertisements they'd read in the papers.

"I wonder if magic is really real." Ellie said. "I'm sure that platform thing was just an illusion."

"No, it's real! I bet there's lots of witches and wizards there, and they've got brooms and everything." June argued.

"We'll see-"

Their compartment door opened, revealing a matronly woman with a cart. "Anything off the trolley dears?"

"Ooh, I'm starving, have you got any chocolate?"

Their Mother spoke up. "June, you don't need any chocolate. You wouldn't happen to have any bottled water, do you?"

"Why yes, we do!" The woman said, pulling aside a curtain, revealing lots of normal looking food and drinks. "We have magical and muggle food here for everyone."

"Muggle?" Ben asked.

The woman smiled. "Oh, you'll be hearing that term in the village. Muggles are people like yourselves, those who do not have magic."

"So...you're magical?" June asked excitedly. "Do some magic for us!"

"June, don't be rude." Her Father murmured.

The woman only laughed. "Oh, you'll have fun today, just wait and see. Here, have a chocolate frog. Best eat it quickly, it only has one good bounce." She handed a package to the girl. "Oh, and keep the card- you can collect them!"

* * *

Harry smiled as he heard the kid's laughter outside in the square. The muggles loved the village, and the magical community did too. Witches and wizards from all over were visiting as well, making the normally sleepy little village a thriving place. He peeked out of the tent, watching a crowd of children watch a couple of elves perform tricks.

"Hey."

He left his place, and turned to see Draco. He held his violin case in his arms.

"Hi." Harry said shyly, kissing his cheek. "Where are the others? Colin's already getting the stage ready."

"They're on their way. Luna and Neville...er got a bit distracted earlier." Harry laughed, adjusting the boy's outfit a bit.

"You look good."

"So do you." They shared a heated glance, and Harry bit his lip. Draco set his case down on the makeup table, and pulled Harry into a kiss. "You know, I'm very lucky to have you around."

"Oh?" Draco kissed his neck and ear, making Harry squirm.

"Hmm hmm. You know, in the past month that Hogsmeade's been open to the public, the sales in the Hogsmeade shop sales have increased by 70%."

Harry groaned as Draco groped him, squeezing his bum. "Oh, you just like me because I make you money." Harry teased.

"Oh no. You've got a good ass, too." Draco squeezed said ass, pulling up Harry to his groin.

"Do I?" Harry breathed, feeling a bit giddy.

Draco nodded, hands sliding in the back of his pants. "Oh yeah." Harry shuddered as he felt the fingers dig against his bare skin.

"Draco...we have the show..." He pouted.

"They can wait for us." Draco whispered, kissing his collarbone. "You look so hot, I just can't resist-"

"Oh...Draco..." Harry's head lolled back.

"If you lovebirds are finished, we got a show to put on." Neville said, sounding amused. Both Draco and Harry froze, jumping away from each other. They could have been caught! Hell, they _were_ caught. At least it was only Neville and Luna. The two of them were smiling as they unpacked their things.

"Come on, we haven't much time. People are filling up the square now."

* * *

Mark Owens was watching the band play up on the stage with wide eyes. Yes, it was the same band that played at his club all those times. They sounded great, and the special affects that were put on only added to their show. The crowds loved them, and he could see why they played here. This was an opportunity he couldn't afford to miss.

While they performed, he thought quickly of what he could say to them- hopefully they would be available to talk after the show. After the show ended, he fought his way through the crowds that were making their way to the train station. Hogsmeade was closing up for the night. He didn't care if he missed the train- he was sure the band would let him stay there while they talked business.

"Kit! Kit! Over here!" He yelled, waving at them before they started heading to the tent behind the stage setup. The brunette looked his way, and her eyes widened in recognition. She got the others' attention, and they waved him over. He was let through, and he approached them with a grin.

"I saw you in the papers. I just had to come see you guys."

"It's good to see you again, Mark." Neville said warmly. "C'mon, let's talk in here."

Mark was rather surprised to see that the tent looked a lot larger than it did on the outside. But he decided not to question it for now. He watched them pack up their gear. "You guys sounded great tonight. I noticed you added a few more songs."

"Yeah, we had to. Some of our old stuff wasn't very kid friendly." Draco said with a smirk.

"So...I was thinking...this could be an opportunity to do something new."

"Something new?" Luna chirped.

Mark nodded. "Yeah. See, I was thinking...what if there were other performers like you guys? I mean, yeah you've got those actors and stuff walking around the streets, but no musicians!"

"Well..." Neville began. "This village is really about shopping and cafes, and some of the outlying buildings are research buildings. Anyways, we don't really know anybody around here that could play music like we could."

Mark's eyebrows rose. "Have your people hold auditions then. Who's in charge of the entertainment around here, anyways? This Vita Inc.?"

The group glanced at each other. Kit spoke quietly. "That's actually a good idea. And um, no one's really in charge of the entertainment around here. The house elves do what they do on a volunteer basis. It apparently helps them unwind after working in the Forest or the offices all day."

"But you guys get paid, right?" Mark asked, eyes widening.

They all shook their heads.

"What! But you're being ripped off! Even _I_ paid you!"

Draco interrupted his tirade. "We own Vita Inc."

That shut the man up. Draco continued. "Actually, you bring up a very good point. We do need other performers."

Luna put her two cents in. "Would you like to work for us?"

"Wha?" Mark asked, feeling a little bewildered.

"Mr. Owens, you know the music scene. You know what's good, and what's not. You could host the auditions, be in charge of our entertainment department. We have noticed a surplus in people lately when we perform, yet we can't perform all the time-"

"You're telling me that...you kids run this whole village?"

"Well...not the whole village." Kit said hesitantly.

"Well, fuck me." Mark murmured, running a hand through his hair. Then he thought about his club, his lovely Black Box.

"I've got the club to think about." He shook his head. "I couldn't..." He then thought of somebody who would love this opportunity. "Momo, on the other hand, would jump at this chance."

"Really?" Kit asked, eyes widening.

"Oh yeah. She's been in the music scene as long as I have. Er...the only reason she bar-tends at the bar is 'cos I'm there. But she helped me with all sorts of stuff. She's always wanted to run a place of her own, and...well, maybe she could do that here?"

The teenagers shared a look, communicating silently.

Mark spoke again. "I could feed talent from the Black Box to here, and some of the people she finds here could be sent to the Black Box. You know, two music communities' talents could be really great- a pool of musicians and artists, just waiting to be discovered..."

Harry thought about it. It was a good idea. Magical performers making a name for themselves in the muggle world, and muggle performers performing in the magical world...why not? And they could learn a great deal about each other's music...

"Alright. Send her up in the next week or so, whenever is best for her. Alright?"

Mark Walker grinned. "You won't regret this- this is going to be great!"

* * *

Draco stood uncomfortably in the muggle office. Usually, he had either Luna or Harry with him when he went to muggle places like this. However, everyone was terribly busy with things. A woman came into the office, walking briskly. Draco's eyes roved over her pencil skirt and slender legs. She looked good, for a muggle. He was well aware she was used to working with older clients, and he would just have to do his best to be professional. Her eyes met his, and he smiled charmingly. He could tell she was curious, but was too polite to mention his age.

"You must be Draco Malfoy." She shook his hand. "I'm Erica Watson. Please, sit. Now, what can we do for you today?" She sat down at her desk, and Draco sat down as well.

"I am interested in making some investments." He said stiffly. "I've been doing a bit of research, and I've found a few companies that could potentially do quite well."

She motioned for the file he held in his hands, putting on a pair of glasses. She read through the file at first rather quickly, and then slowed. She eventually set the file down, reading it carefully.

"It says here that you're a co-owner of Vita Inc. They're the ones that fund that Hogsmeade village out in the country, correct?"

Draco nodded. "Yes. I am actually in charge of our Financial Department."

She glanced his way, looking rather interested. "I see. And...if I may ask, how did you get involved in such a venture?"

Draco had been expecting the question. "I went to school in Hogsmeade, actually. A few of my friends and I are rather wealthy, and when the school was destroyed, we realized what it could do to the local economy. The school was rebuilt elsewhere, and we took the opportunity to buy the property and tried to revitalize business."

"I see. By making it a sort of tourist attraction."

Draco just smiled. "I suppose. Our sales have increased by 118% in our first two months. Our costs are relatively low, as our employees all live in _our_ properties in Hogsmeade, where they buy_ our_ products at _our_ stores."

Watson was impressed. "And so you wish to expand your business?"

Draco nodded. "Yes ma'am. In addition to the shops and cafes we own, we also have several research facilities. Now, we want to continue to have the charm of our little village, so we can't expand too much, do you understand?"

"So you wish to invest in property?"

"Correct." He tapped his finger to several places on the London map. "Around these areas here. Many of our employees are from these areas, and I believe that if we expand in these locations, we could boost our profits and make a foothold outside of our little village."

"And would you like to invest in other businesses? After all, government stocks will pay themselves off rather quickly if you have research facilities... there are a few up and coming companies you should look at- electronics, medical, and communications are all booming at the moment."

Draco smiled. "I think I'm going to like working with you, Ms. Watson."

* * *

"You know, this Vita Inc. is pretty cool." Shep said as he held up his fat golden coin to the moon. "Hiring us, even though it's not really legal."

"You think one of their Heads is a werewolf?" Tanya said, stretching out on the grass. Their pack was settling in for the night after a good day's work. Their pack was one of many that was being hired to do construction in Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, and Knockturne Alley these past few months. They were allowed the week of the full moon off, and were supplied with cheaply priced Wolfsbane potions, on top of their pay. The packs had never lived so well. Yeah, they might have to dress properly around the humans and everything, but they didn't get people prying into their business and try to arrest them.

After all, werewolves weren't allowed in the UK. Most of the packs had been neutral in the war- good thing too, since that Harry Potter killed off the Dark Lord with his friends. And Harry Potter was somehow connected with Vita Inc.

Many people speculated that the teenager was a figurehead of the organization, that it was headed by a committee. It made some people nervous to have a teenager in a high position at such a large company. And they knew his friends were somehow involved too, making news of their own. They owned practically all the newspapers, but hadn't made any moves to stifle the news like the Ministry had.

Some were curious as to where all this was going.

Integrating the muggle and the magical world?

For some, like the werewolves, they had been doing this for years. It was the only way they could support themselves. Some of the people in their packs had been muggles before they had been turned, some had been squibs. A registered werewolf was watched like a hawk, and wouldn't get hired by most magical companies in Europe and in the UK.

However...Vita Inc. did. It wasn't going to take long for the word to spread.

* * *

Draco frowned as he looked over the numbers. "Kit, there's a lot of people coming back to the UK- more than what were living here before. They're coming here through the International Flooing station, through muggle transportation- all wanting jobs. I don't think we could do this."

They were sitting in their old hideout, the clearing by the Fairy House. The area was looking as beautiful as ever, fully recovered from the damage Voldemort had caused to their lay lines.

Luna was sunbathing on the rock slab, notes and newspapers spread around her. Neville was reading an update from the herbology department, lost in thought.

"I know. I get a lot of letters." Harry murmured quietly, staring at the pond. "All we can do is keep up the construction in London. How are the shops coming along?"

"Fine. Nearly finished."

"We're running out of room in the employee housing in the village. Did you decide to build some flats in that abandoned building in Knockturne?"

"Actually, I had already drawn up some plans. See, all the shops are at the ground level, and the shopkeepers live above them. However, in most of the buildings we own, we could either expand upwards, or remodel the floors above to suit more workers."

"Which would bring more people living in Knockturne and Diagon, boosting sales there." Harry concluded. "Good. Like it. It's going to have to happen fast- most of the cottages have five, six people living in each of them."

Draco grimaced. "Right. Good thing we hired some more mutts today."

"Draco!" Harry hissed.

"Sorry, werewolves. You do know that that's illegal, right?"

"I know." Harry said in a small voice. "But they need jobs too."

"We can't give jobs to everyone. Soon enough, we'll have more people in our employment than the Ministry of Magic!"

"I know. But we're making enough money to cover our expenses, right?"

"Of course we are." Draco waved that off. "We're making good profits, more than good. I just want to make sure it stays that way."

Harry leant into the blonde's shoulder. "It's not all about the money, you know."

Draco wrapped his arm around the boy. "I know. It's all about 'Educating the muggles and magicals so that we may one day live harmoniously'" He said in a sotto voice, obviously repeating Harry. Said boy swatted him in the chest, rolling his eyes.

"Prat."

"But you love me anyways."

"Yeah. I do." Harry said with a small smile.

* * *

Harry hesitated as he approached Snape, watching the man work on several potions at once. He'd specifically chosen this time to approach the man.

"Sir?"

"What is it, Potter? I'm busy."

Harry fiddled with the file in his hands. "There's a project I'd like to assign to your department, that is, if you will be able to do it. I know you're busy, but it might be a good idea."

"I'm listening." The man continued to work.

"I'd like for all of our employees to take a lineage test. Human, centaur, elf, everyone- that is, if their culture allows it."

The man paused in his work. "Why?"

"I believe if we look back far enough, many of our 'muggleborns' could be descended from wizards or magical creatures. Maybe there's even a connection between the elves and the Goblins, or perhaps-"

"I get it. I suppose this will only be requested of the employees, and their results will be kept private?"

"Of course. While some could offer their results for study and research, others could keep their information to themselves, if they wish."

"I see."

Harry set the file on the man's work table. He hesitated before he said something else, nervousness mounting. They'd put this off long enough already.

"We need to talk."

Snape froze for a second. Harry went on.

"We've been ignoring this for a long time. Are...are we ever going to-"

"There is enough going on right now, Pott-"

"No!" Harry hissed, slamming his fist onto the table. Snape whipped around, looking at him with a scowl on his face.

"The war is over. We have no excuse to dance around this anymore. You're my Father." His voiced quieted. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

Snape looked away. "You're of age. You have your...friends. You don't need me."

"Of course I need you." Harry murmured. "For years and years...I prayed for someone to take me away from those Dursleys. I never, ever thought I would have a Father-"

"Pott- Harry, it's in the past. I'm no Father to you- I just..." The man frowned, struggling for words. "You don't need me. Not as a Father, anyways." He turned back to his work. "All I can be for you is your employee."

"So you'll never acknowledge it."

"Do you want the papers to hear of this?" Snape murmured.

"We own most of the papers. It doesn't matter. I'm tired of keeping quiet about this- don't you-" He cut himself off as Hermione came into the room, carrying a basket of herbs.

"Granger, prepare those ingredients." Snape barked, and the girl hurried to do so. Harry knew that the conversation was over. For now.

* * *

So...yeah, I hope that you guys aren't too pissed off at me. The lovely Lady Foxy Roxy pointed out that I had Snape find out that Harry was his kid back in Chapter 12 of the first story. A few others pointed this out as well. So sorry about that! I've fixed it now.


	9. Theories

Yay, new chapter!

Please read and review- they give me lots of good ideas and incentive to keep writing!

* * *

A rather large group of men, women and children stood in a train station, their luggage sitting about them on the ground. They all acted like a rather large family, although most of them did not look related. The muggles that passed them by looked at them a bit oddly. Some of the their clothes were rather ragged looking, and some of the children didn't wear shoes. They had just taken a six day journey from their home country, to Great Britain.

Another man approached them, smiling at them, a file folder in his arms. "Hello."

The largest man pushed his way through the crowd, and looked down at this new man carefully. He was one of them, he noted, but weak. Greying hair, weak stature. But he looked well clothed- nothing fancy, but in better shape than what they wore.

"You are Lupin?" He asked gruffly.

The man, Lupin, nodded. "I am. And you must be Franz. Was your trip satisfactory?"

"It was...fine. And yes, I am Franz."

Lupin looked about the crowd. "This is your pack? You've got quite a group with you."

"We stay together."

"That's quite alright- the more the merrier." Lupin said cheerfully. "Follow me."

Franz wasn't sure if they could trust the English wizards, but they had no where else to go. His pack had been booted out from village to village, and finally they were just living in the mountains, on scraps of food. Their littlest pack-mates went to the village for school, and one of them recieved a letter from this...English werewolf.

They'd heard the rumors and the stories that had been spreading through the continent, about how there was a group of English wizards that were hiring and housing the weres- they helped them, not discriminated them.

"We're going to have you in Knockturne. We've just started construction on an apartment building there, and we need all the help we can get."

"The young ones, they need schooling. Will they have to go to muggle school?"

The man blinked. "Yes, I'm afraid so. We, Vita, I mean, do not have a school built. For those of you who are interested in continuing your education, or want to work in our labs and offices, we have space available. The children will have to go to muggle school. If they do not have muggle records, we will arrange for some."

"We work together." Johanna, Franz' beta spoke up. Franz nodded at this sharply.

"Alright. Well, here we are. We're going to go to Hogsmeade first, and have you meet with our Heads."

The group went through the Platform. The train sat there, gleaming in the sunlight. It was rather quiet on the platform, since it was so early on a weekday morning. "We get more people coming in on the weekends, and later in the day. Once you're finished with the apartment building in Knockturne, perhaps you'd be interested in working at Hogsmeade?"

The others were silent, looking around nervously as they got onto the platform. They didn't point and gawk at the few muggles on the train when the passed, since they were used to living among muggles.

"We just had another pack arrive yesterday, they'll be working with you on the construction of the apartment building. You Alphas are in charge of your teams, and if there's a problem between your packs, you and the other Alpha can sort it out between you, or I can help sort it out-"

"So, are you Head of construction?" Franz asked. "Alot of us are wondering why Vita is hiring so many of us."

Lupin bit his lip. "Well, I help with recruitment, specifically in getting in touch with the weres."

"Because you're a werewolf."

The man shrugged. "I suppose so."

"But were you given the opportunity to do anything else?" Johanna asked sharply. "Will we?"

"Of course you will- if you have an interest in any of our other departments, you are welcome to join. For those of you who don't have your NEWTS or OWLS, we could just do a placement test. For those in your pack that don't have magic, we have places for them too."

"Like what?"

"Muggle technology." The man gave them a mysterious smile. "As far as my placement goes, this is the most rewarding for me. Yes, I was offered several other positions, but this one is the one that is the best."

* * *

Momo had been in the music business a long time, but never had she seen something like this before.

"So...you're really elves."

The elves nodded quickly, hopping up and down in place. "...okay." Damn it, why had she let Mark talk her into this? Probably because she was mad about the man. How was she ever going to send these...elves to London?

"So...what do you do?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest. She was rather imposing looking for a woman- with tattoos all up and down her arms, and short silvery hair. She wore some artfully ripped black jeans, and a tank top. Most of the teenagers in this weird village wore robes over their 'muggle' clothes. And they looked pretty clean-cut too.

She wondered if Mark really knew that this place was magical. Like really magical, not the optical illusions that everyone thought it was. Well, she wasn't going to tell him. Not that she could, anyways. It was in her contract.

"We is dancing."

"Dancing. Alright. Show me."

And they did. She'd been holding auditions for the past few weeks now, and while she'd found some good talent, there was some really bad ones too. The elves were generally terrible singers- their voices couldn't quite get the range that a singer needed. She'd managed to get a few fresh faces with a bit of talent and sent them to Mark for training.

Now that this...er New Hogwarts had let out, there were some students that were looking for jobs. One of them was busty Lavender Brown. She was a pretty blonde with blue eyes, and while she wasn't a great singer, she could definitely dance. She wasn't classically trained or anything, but she had a lot of raw talent.

There there was Blaise Zabini. He acted a bit funny around her, but he had a good voice, and looks to match. He didn't know much about music. Momo wasn't finding that much of the musical talent knew the basics about musical theory and the like. She spotted Kit coming over to watch the auditions, a file folder tucked into her arm. The four from Forbidden seemed to be everywhere in this little Village. Many of the employees didn't treat them as their bosses- they were treated with a bit of respect, but not separated from the others. It didn't hurt that the four of them worked right alongside their employees. She didn't know how they did it all.

Momo sighed as she studied the elves.

"You guys are good, but I'm afraid we can't have you performing in the muggle world."

"We is knowing, Miss Momo. We is wanting to perform in Diagon Alley!" One of them squeaked.

Momo and Kit exchanged a look. Kit nodded, and Momo gave a slight nod back. "Alright. We'll draw up a schedule for you, and set something up."

The elves cheered happily. Kit spoke up. "Thank you guys. Why don't you get back to work at the lab, and I'll see you lot later."

The elves popped away, grinning excitedly. Kit held the file in front of herself, smiling gently at Momo.

"You're doing a good job. I know you're probably a bit overwhelmed with everything..."

"I still can't believe those little buggers are real. It's...surreal."

"I know. When I first found out about magic, I couldn't believe it myself."

"You didn't always know? But didn't you grow up here?"

Kit shook her head. "Nope. I grew up in Surrey, then came here for school when I was eleven."

Since Momo's arrival, she'd heard mention of Hogwarts a number of times. "Hogwarts, right?"

"Right. Surrey was never really my home, but Hogsmeade, the forest, they are." Kit smiled. "So, I was thinking that we might have an official place for you. I know holding auditions here on the stage isn't the best."

Momo nodded. She wondered what Surrey was like, for someone like Kit. The teenager certainly wasn't like others she'd met. For one thing, Kit looked so young! She still looked fourteen, while the others had continued to get older.

"We're turning The shrieking shack into a club. We're going to keep the name, which is kind of cool. We thought it might bring some different crowds in, you know?"

"Great idea." Momo looked thoughtful. "Are you guys really able to do all this? You're always building something, and hiring new people..."

"Yeah. We are. You'd be surprised how much money our properties and things generate. It takes a lot of money to do all this, but we're making a lot too." Kit just gave her a cheeky grin. "So, are you up to running the Shrieking Shack?"

Momo grinned back. "If I get to set up my own rules, and the opportunity to buy the property from you in the future, we have a deal."

They shook hands.

"I'll make up a contract. You'll have a say in the set up and things, I'll have you start working with the contractors next week."

As Kit started to walk away, Momo spoke up. "Do you have time to ever be a normal teenager?"

Kit's smile faded. "I've never been normal." She brightened up again, but Momo could tell it was fake. "I'll see you around."

* * *

"If we publish this, the Ministry would ban it." Severus said quietly to Hermione. The two of them were overlooking the blood test results of many of their employees.

"I know." The girl frowned. "But it's not right. Everyone should know!"

"And we would be sent to Azkaban for undermining the Ministry." Severus said, rubbing his temples. "We can't do this. We can't just turn everything everyone knows upside down."

"Turn what upside down?" Luna asked as she came into the lab. She was smiling serenely at the two of them.

Hermione and Severus exchanged a look. "Magic." Hermione said finally. "We were looking at the test results of our employees." She paused. "We...came up with a theory, but we need to do some more tests. But..."

"I do not think it would be a good idea to continue with this vein."

Luna sat down at the worktable. "Tell me. You two are some of the smartest people I know. If you think that it's plausible, I think we should hear about it."

Hermione bit her lip. "Well...I'm a muggleborn. So is Dennis and Colin, and many of employees. What if I told you that none of us were exactly muggleborn?"

"...go on." Luna said, cocking her head.

"What if we told you, that if you go back far enough in muggleborn's lines, that they are decended from witches and wizards, or other magical creatures?"

"I could see how that is possible. So...why would their magic return to the lines, then?"

Severus spoke up. "By combining with other dormant lines, enough magic is reintroduced in the child."

Luna nodded to herself. "And squibs?"

"Inbreeding. That wasn't a surprise." Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

"When a squib and a muggleborn, or a muggleborn and a halfblood produce, they have rather powerful results. I myself am a halfblood, with a muggle father and a pureblood mother. My magic is in the 97th percentile. Miss Granger here..."

"I'm in the 96th." Hermione interrupted. "And our results are consistent. Muggleborn's and halfblood's magic resonate stronger than those with pure blood!"

Luna tilted her head. "What about Neville, Draco, and I?"

Severus spoke quietly. "We can't be sure, but I believe by...being with Potter as you are, makes your magic stronger."

Hermione looked confused. "Just because they hang around him?"

Luna knew that Hermione wasn't aware of their relationship with Kit. "No. We're...together. All of us."

Hermione's eyes went round. "All...four of you?"

Luna just gave a slight shrug of her shoulder. "I suppose it makes sense, that Kit's magic would make ours resonate a bit more. Kit has fey blood, which is more powerful than most magical creatures-" Hermione choked at this. Apparently she didn't know that bit either.

"What!" She squeaked.

Luna got up from her stool, straightening her robes absently. "Well, do more tests. Test the elves, test whoever volunteers."

"Muggles?" Severus asked quietly.

"If they want." Luna waved it off. "Just make sure the Ministry doesn't find out. THey would surely ban all of your notes, and do their best to keep you from working on this theory."

* * *

So, what did you think? Good? Can't wait for more? XD

Please review, It'll make me write more. Thanks for reading, guys.


	10. Jump in

Love you all, I loved all the reviews I got!

There is a major time jump in this chapter. In order for the plot to keep going, I thought I ought to do this. :D

* * *

A _year_ had passed.

Hogsmeade flourished in the time that it had been open to muggles. There was talk amongst the ICW to open similar locations in other countries. Of course, the muggles still believed that all the magical things they saw were just 'special affects'.

Not only had Hogsmeade flourished, but so did Diagon Alley and Knockturne Alley as well. Apartment buildings were built rapidly in Knockturne, to provide living space for the influx of people coming to work for Vita. The werewolves that had been pouring into the country lived in the muggle world, either in Woodcroft or in London. Vita had slowly been spreading its properties to the muggle world.

The Ministry of Magic was trying to say that the surplus of income and productivity were all due to their rebuilding efforts after the war, but it was largely due to Vita Inc. Everyone knew the truth, they just weren't admitting it. The ordinary witch and wizard wasn't sure how to deal with the company- new companies usually didn't last very long in the wizarding world. They didn't take to change very well. However, Vita had some staying power.

Somehow, Vita had managed to keep all of their werewolf employees under wraps for the moment, but they were extremely careful not to let Umbridge or her people know what was going on. All of their werewolf employees had taken to wearing muggle contacts in the wizarding world, to cover up their amber eyes. They all lived in the muggle world, and were registered legally there. The company was very careful about not letting their employees come in contact with Umbridge. The woman really was just...too nosy.

Draco was much more comfortable dealing with muggle business men now- especially when they showed they were just as greedy as their magical counterparts. He flourished when dealing with the investment portfolios and making good on the stock market. One day, he promised, Vita's stock was going to be up there, and making more than anyone else.

Hogsmeade still remained as quaint as ever- muggles kept arriving every day by the Hogsmeade Express. Business boomed, and soon, the regular witches and wizards of the UK (and elsewhere), considered Hogsmeade to be a major hub of the magical world. Not only commercially, but technologically. While those in Hogsmeade could have easily raised their prices, they kept them low. They wanted Hogsmeade to be accessible to everyone, not just those with lots of money.

Luna had transferred many of the newspaper and publicist duties over to Colin, who had graduated from Hogwarts. The boy was living in one of their London apartment buildings with their ex-Professor, Sam Whittaker. Sam and Colin weren't open about their relationship, but it was fairly obvious to their friends that they were together now.

Sam had moved permanently to the UK, after getting an offer from Vita he couldn't refuse. He was now in charge of the Magitech labs, and had brought over a few of his friends from the Salem Institute. They also had a few students from New Hogwarts start interning at the lab as well. That was a new addition.

New Hogwarts students were now interning at each of the labs each day after school- sixth year students, for one semester. There were a few for each department, even with the construction crews and the entertainment department. The entertainment department was headed by Momo, who had her hands full with the Shrieking Shack. It was becoming a popular hang out spot for staff and visitors alike.

There were new performers in Hogsmeade now- Firenze walked around the village and told stories to those who gathered around him. The elves were a featured attraction, dancing and performing tricks for the muggles in the streets of Hogsmeade. Blaise Zabini was quietly gathering a following in muggle London, while Lavender Brown had managed to become a back up dancer for some muggle singers.

Some of the muggles in Woodcroft were regular visitors, and in turn, many of the people who lived in Hogsmeade visited Woodcroft as well. Woodcroft increased their revenue as a result. Strangely, their music teachers earned quite a bit from the Hogsmeade villagers wanting to learn an instrument or how to sing.

Dean Thomas, to the surprise of everyone, went on to a muggle art school in London. He said he wanted to create the wizarding world's first art museum one day. For now, though, he was content to learn more about his trade.

Luna was now devoting all of her attention to the publishing company, making revisions of well known textbooks with her team of elves. They also made series of condensed versions of the books, so that the every day person could understand their theories better. They also printed some of their findings that they'd found in their other departments. Some of it, of course, was top secret, and kept it that way. For now, at least.

Neville was focused on his herbology, and breeding nearly extinct species of plants in their greenhouses. He and the others in the department were trying to grow magical plants that could easily blend in with muggle species, or cross breed with them.

Harry was doing his best to keep the village running smoothly, often going from department to department, putting in his two cents. While Neville and Luna were now mostly in the magical world, Harry and Draco were constantly going back and forth between the muggle world and the magical one.

Despite all that Harry accomplished, however, he still pined away for just playing music and being...normal.

People had started to say things, about why he wasn't growing any more. They didn't say anything in front of him, only just behind his back. But he heard them anyways. It made him feel weird, that he looked so young next to his friends. He couldn't imagine how the others felt when they looked at him. So he quietly worried, and wondered if he was ever going to grow up.

* * *

Padma was walking down the street in Hogsmeade, holding Mark's hand. Mark had news for her, he said, and he wanted to take her out for lunch. She smiled at him prettily, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "So, what's your news, Mark?" She asked as they walked into the restaurant.

Mark laughed. "Insistent, aren't you?" He asked with a grin. They were led to a table by one of the elves, whose leafy outfit had flowery buds blooming on her shoulder. It kind of looked pretty, actually. The elves had come a long way from twigs and leaves tied together hastily, or ratty Hogwarts tea towels.

"Oh come on, you know how I am." Padma said, teasing him as she squeezed his hand. "Come on, tell me!"

They ordered their lunch, and Mark got a bit more serious. "I got a job!"

"Really?" Padma said, grinning widely. "That's fantastic!" Mark had graduated from the muggle school in Woodcroft, but his grades hadn't been that great. He had been struggling to find a job, without going to college.

"I'm going to be working here in Hogsmeade. They needed a bartender at the Shack, and I know my way around the bar, so..."

"That's great, Mark." Padma said, kissing his cheek. "I'm so happy for you."

Mark smiled slightly. "So...I was thinking...since we'll both be working here in Hogsmeade...that maybe we could get a place together. Just the two of us. I like your roommates and all, but..."

"They always seem to be around at the wrong time." Padma finished, smiling. She was thrilled that Mark asked to move in together. It would be kind of great, actually.

Her smile faded as she thought of her sister. Her sister was talking about moving to Hogsmeade and looking for a job herself- she was living with their parents right now. They still didn't know about Mark. They all assumed she was too busy with work to be dating anyone- oh boy.

"Padma?" Mark asked worriedly.

Padma sighed. "You need to meet my family."

Mark reached over, putting his hand on top of hers. "You worried they won't like me or something? Because I'm not as smart as you?"

Padma looked away. "No. It's just...you don't have magic. They're...a bit old fashioned."

"Oh." Mark said sadly.

"Not that I care, or anything." Padma added quickly. "I have no interest in being with any of those wizards they wanted to set me up with. I only ever want to be with you, Mark."

A slow smile spread on his face. "Next thing you know, you'll be saying you love me, Padma." He said jokingly.

Padma blushed, and leant forward. "Maybe I do."

He looked at her with such suprise that she had to laugh. "You do?" He squeaked.

"Yeah, I do. So...no matter what they say, I'm still gonna be with you."

He hugged her tightly just as their food arrived. "I love you too." He murmured into her ear.

* * *

Harry grunted as Neville pulled at the vine tighter, pulling his wrists closer together. They were in their bedroom, with Harry tied up to the headboard using some vines that Neville was breeding. They were soft and leathery, and quite alive- they curled about his body whichever way they pleased. It was an experimental breed he'd been working on, with some fantastic results.

"Good?"Neville murmured, running a hand down his leg. Harry squirmed, making the vines tighten around him.

"Yes." Harry breathed, closing his eyes.

"Stay still. If you're too loud, you'll make the house elves barge in again and try to rescue you. You don't want that to happen again, do you?" Harry's face grew warm at the memory.

"No."

"Good. Don't make me gag you." Neville said, and grabbed something. It was a branch that had been smoothed down and shaped- a wooden cane. "Now...this might sting a bit..."

Harry hissed at the first strike- a sharp stinging pain spread, his skin warming at the spot that Neville had stuck.

"Oh!" He grunted, and twitched, the vines squeezing him.

Twenty strikes, and Harry was a mess, his thighs lined with red marks, and his wrists and arms looking pretty raw from all the vines holding him so tightly. Neville was groping him when they heard the footsteps.

They heard the door open, and Harry's eyes opened, and they saw Draco and Luna, looking at them with rueful grins.

"Right...we'll go outside then." Draco said, tugging Luna away from the door.

"But...Draco..." Luna pouted.

Neville laughed, and got on top of Harry. "Now, where were we?" He slid forward, so that his cock was right in front of Harry's face. Since the boy couldn't move an inch, Neville just smiled at Harry's expression.

"You want it?"

"Yesh-" came out, since Harry's mouth was had been gagged back at the sixth strike. Neville tugged away at the gag, and promptly shoved his cock in Harry's mouth.

Meanwhile, two blondes were curled up together on the front steps of their little cottage. The cottage wasn't far away from the fairy clearing, but far enough for some privacy.

They could hear the unmistakable sounds of Harry and Neville having sex. Luna and Draco laughed quietly, cuddling.

"You ever want to do what they're doing?" Draco asked.

Luna gave a slight shrug. "Not to that extent. It's not really a big deal to me, like it is for them. You?"

Draco made a face. "Not really. I'm fine with just sex. It's fun and all, but I don't want that all the time like they do."

Luna's wide eyes blinked. "_Just_ sex?"

"Well, I mean, all the talking and...er...holding hands and stuff is nice too..." Draco backtracked.

Luna giggled, and Draco continued to speak. "It's just...have you ever thought about the future?"

Luna looked at him oddly. They were always talking about the future. "All the time."

"Not Vita's future, or Hogsmeade's future, but..._our_ future."

Luna looked thoughtful. Draco pressed on. "While I love the band and everything, I love making money for Vita and doing business with muggles, believe it or not. It's a good challenge, and I'm really good at it. I...I don't think I want to be in the band anymore. It just seems like a childish dream to have. Working in finance is something a bit more tangible."

Luna stared at Draco sadly. "I suppose...playing with the band _has_ been cutting into my time with Magi-press and writing my own things... we could still perform once in a while."

"Just not as much as we have been. And I know it's getting harder and harder for Neville to get away from his work at the Greenhouses. Whenever the four of us see each other, we're always practicing for the band, talking business, or having sex...we don't do anything else anymore."

Luna hugged him tightly. "I guess you're right."

"We've just...got different priorities right now. And...eventually...that will include other stuff too." Draco said, looking a bit nervous.

Luna looked at him quizzically. Draco looked away from her, running a hand through his hair.

"Luna...I love you."

Luna frowned. His voice was...different. She wasn't sure if she liked it or not.

"We've been together for a long time now." He paused. "And...I was just wondering...what you wanted _our_ future to be."

"I don't understand."

"I mean..." He sighed roughly. "Do you want kids?"

Luna leant back in surprise. "I suppose so, one day. Yes."

Draco nodded, and started searching for his robe pockets. "And...other things too?"

Luna only stared at him, watching him pull out a fancy looking ring box. "Other things?" Her brows climbed up, her voice getting higher.

A loud groan interrupted their conversation, making both of them look to the window. Draco huffed, grabbing Luna by the wrist and dragging her away from the cottage, and further into the trees.

He got down on one knee, and Luna's hands shook. Was he really asking? What did this mean? What about Harry and Neville? What would people say? They were so young! But...all Luna could see was a boy she loved looking up at her with such love in his eyes, getting his fancy robes all dirty for her... her eyes widened as she saw the ring for the first time.

It was this big clunky gold thing, but she'd recognized it as Draco's Mother's ring. While it wasn't her style at all, that was what cinched it.

"Will you marry me, Luna?"

* * *

**I was going to stop it there, but I decided not to be evil. XD**

* * *

"Will you marry me, Luna?" Draco repeated, looking even more nervous now. Luna was just staring at him, standing there. She gave him the slightest of nods, and his heart jumped at the sight.

"Yes. Yes...I will." Luna murmured quietly. Draco nearly dropped the ring in his excitement, sliding it onto her slender finger.

Luna got down on her knees before he could stand, and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. They sat in the dirt and the leaves, kissing like there was no tomorrow. Time stood still for them- meetings, business, reports, schedules- none of that mattered at the moment.

As they parted, so that they could breathe, Luna spoke quietly. "What about Nev and Kit?" She asked quietly.

Draco sighed. "It's not like we're never going to be with them again."

"I know." Luna said simply. "But things will change."

"And we'll deal with it, just as we always have." Draco said, hugging her tightly.

* * *

Neville and Harry were sprawled out in their bed, coming down off their highs. Harry rolled over, curling into Neville's side. Neville wrapped his arm around Harry tightly.

"I think Draco is going to propose to Luna. Not sure when, since he's been carrying around his Mother's ring for a while..."

Harry frowned, but snuggled a bit closer. "Well, so many people were expecting them to get married. You know, continue the 'great Malfoy line', or some shit."

Neville looked at Harry worriedly. "You're worried, aren't you?'

"What...what if they don't want to be with us anymore?" Harry asked quietly.

"I don't think it works like that, Kit. They love you- I don't think they'll stop loving you just because they get married."

"But...think about it- what happens if they have kids? Will they want them to know about our relationship? Will they even have time for us? I feel...I feel like whatever we have with them will take a backseat to their relationship."

Neville sighed. "Well, reverse the situation. When you and I get married-" Harry choked at this "What would they feel like? Would they think that you didn't love them any more?"

"Well...no..." Harry swallowed thickly. "You're talking about us getting married like it's no big deal..."

They both sat up, and Neville looked at Harry curiously. "Don't you want to get married? I thought that's all you ever wanted- to get married and have a big family."

"I want other things too." Harry said quietly, looking down at his lap. "And you never asked me."

"I...didn't think I had to." Neville murmured, sliding his hand down Harry's arm. Harry bit his lip, shifting away.

"I do want kids, and the whole big family bit...but not yet. There's lots of things I want to do..."

"Okay. I'm not saying we get married tomorrow...but...one day?"

Harry gave him a slight nod, not meeting his eyes.

Neville tilted his face upwards, kissing him gently. "I love you Harry. Nothing will ever change that. You must know that."

"Neville..." Harry had tears in his eyes. "Look at me. I haven't aged in almost four years. I don't look any different than I did when we were fourteen. How could you still want me? How could you want to marry me? What will happen five, ten, years from now- people already think we look wierd, the muggles especcially-"

"Shh...I love you." Neville said, cutting him off. "And you're beautiful. You'd be beautiful whether you stay that way for the rest of your life, or grow old and hairy just like the rest of us."

* * *

Awn. Relationship stuff is supa-fluffy! Please review.


	11. All About Elves

All About Elves

* * *

Harry breathed in, trying to calm himself down. It was only a small performance, he told himself, there wasn't even that big of a crowd around. It was in the middle of the day, in the middle of the week. But this was the first time he was really performing alone- he hadn't done that since the talent show so long ago. Draco was at a meeting in Knockturne, while Luna was at their press offices. Neville was in the crowd, waiting for him to come out on stage.

Harry watched the elves perform their juggling act, balancing the strangest collection of items on their long noses and spindly fingers. Harry fidgeted with his guitar, watching the elves take their bows. The crowd clapped heartily. The elves had come a long way from their little tricks- they were making their performances into a real art.

Harry was really proud of them. The littlest elves, he'd learned, were already learning how to dance and help their families with their performances. They were the first generation of elves for as long as anyone remembered that had been born free. All of the elves had been affected by this. They took pride in their work and Harry couldn't be happier for them.

In the last year or so, he'd learnt a great deal about the elves. They had become much more forthcoming than they ever had when he'd visited them in the kitchens, back during his years at Hogwarts. He'd learnt that elves had no single leader, but worked as teams. No elf was ever alone, it seemed. The eldest of their team was the one that the others looked up to, and followed. In the past year, eight new elves had been born, which was a record- normally, an elf was born every few years or so at Hogwarts, and even less elsewhere.

While the elves technically had parents, they all thought of each other as brothers and sisters. They bred, not for love or...sex (ew), but for increasing their numbers. More hands meant more work could be done, according to the elves. They chose their partners through their magic, although they wouldn't tell Harry any more than that. The elves had come into their own in Hogsmeade, not only performing on the streets and working in their labs, but working in their cafes and restaurants, and buying items from the stores.

Harry reckoned it was the only place in the world where elves could live as freely as any human being. And he was kind of proud about that.

Harry clapped for them when the elves exited the stage. Harry came on, still clapping for them. The crowd's clapping quickened as they saw him.

"Hello everybody, they're great, aren't they? Hear it for the elves!"

There was some cheering and hollering, loudest from the smallest children. Hary spotted Neville in the crowd, and gave him a wink as he caught his eye. Harry adjusted the mike, and heard some whistles and catcalls.

"Some of you might have heard of me before- I'm Kit, from Forbidden. The others are a bit busy right now, so I thought I'd treat all of you to a solo perfomance."

With a flourish of his hands, a stool appeared, making the children gasp appreciatively, and the parents chuckle. They still thought it was an illusion or some effect that had kept the stool hidden in the first place. Harry sat on the stool, and started to strum quietly.

"Any requests anyone?"

A few songs were called out, and Neville called out one with a grin. "This New Day!"

Harry laughed and nodded. "Alright, This New Day it is." He'd just written it the other day, and it was Neville's new favorite song.

He began to sing, his voice quiet at first, but growing clear and loud.

_From the darkness day is dawning _

_In my darkest hour I seek the light_

_All the pain and all my sorrow _

_May it ease with this new day_

He closed his eyes at this, clutching the mike- the crowd was silent listening on in awe. A smile spread on Neville's lips. _  
_

_May my tears remain uncounted_

_And I bid the Goddess be my Guide_

_For Where you lead you'll know I'll follow _

_At the Dawning of this new day_

_At this crossroad the way seems clouded _

_And I bid the Goddess be my Guide_

_Grant me grace and grant me vision_

_At the dawning of this new day_

_May my strength and may my power _

_lift me up and light my way_

_I seek faith and I seek wisdom _

_At the dawning of this new day_

_At the dawning of this new day_

_At the dawning of this new day_

People began to clap at the last refrain, and Harry opened his eyes- he'd kind of forgotten that he had been singing in front of a crowd. He smiled sheepishly. It was a short song, but it had affected the audience deeply.

He started strumming his guitar, and began to sing once more, feeling a lot less nervous. Neville gave him a thumbs up, and Harry didn't even notice when he left to go to work.

* * *

Tippy bowed so low that her nose brushed the ground. On the ground before her were bronze knuts and sickles. Her brothers and sisters bowed beside her. She was one of the groups that performed in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. They'd never asked for money, but when the muggles had started to give it to them, the wizards started to too.

"We is thanking you." Tippy said, grinning widely as she started to put the coins into the bag that her brother Tiggy carried. Her siblings bowed to the witches and wizards, who were soon going about their business once more. The families with small children lingered- the house elves loved it when the little humans came, they were the most enthusiastic, dancing along right with the elves. Well, most of them anyways.

A little boy and his Father stood there, the little boy looking at them uncertainly.

"Father, you never told me that house elves performed in the streets at Diagon."

"Well, they didn't used to." The man said, squeezing his son's shoulder. He held a cane in his hand, and wore a frown on his face. Tibby got a bit nervous, seeing the man's expression. She signaled behind her back, and the others quickened with picking up their coins. Sometimes the humans weren't so nice to them.

The man's face lit up as he saw someone coming from the other side of the street. "Dolores, it's good to see you again."

Tibby shrunk into herself, shoving the last bit of money towards her brother. Her brother clutched the small bag in his arms tightly. The elves were well aware of Umbridge. They'd heard of her enough from the Centaurs and the Goblins. While she had been at Hogwarts, she'd treated them little better than the pureblood meanies, and thought lowly of them. She looked down her nose at Tibby, straightening her hair.

"I would say Good morning, but I shan't, since there are vermin on the streets today." She sneered, not even acknowledging the elves.

Tippy swallowed thickly. Some of her brothers and sisters popped away. Tiggy, her brother, still stood at her side, clutching the money to himself. Tippy wanted to tell him to pop away, go home, but her voice wasn't working for some reason.

"And they're even earning money now...I thought elves always worked for free." She sneered, and took the money bag from Tiggy. Tiggy gaped at her, and looked to his older sister for help.

"Misses Umbridge, We is free elves, we is owned by nobody." Tippy said bravely, chest puffing out. She no longer wore a tea towel with the Hogwarts crest, and had proudly donned dark red rose blossoms onto her leafy dress. She was the oldest out of her siblings- while the elves had no leaders, they certainly respected their elders. Her tiny fists clenched as she looked up at the toad woman, big eyes narrowing.

"We is wanting our money back."

The woman's brows climbed into her hair in visible surprise. "Now, dear, that is no way to speak to your betters." She said. Tippy reached for the money, but Umbridge held it up, out of reach.

Tiggy kicked the woman's shin in anger. Tippy gasped- elves had never hurt any wizard on purpose before, as far as she knew. It probably didn't hurt the toad woman much, but she looked downright angry. She struck Tiggy, making him fall to the ground.

The little boy that stood with his Father was looking on with wide eyes. "Father...she hit that elf!"

"Dolores, don't bring yourself to their level. They're little more than animals." The man drawled, lip curling as he saw Tippy helping her brother up. She saw her brother's blood coming from his mouth, and felt...anger, for the first time.

Umbridge took their money, slipping it into their pocket. Tippy grew even angrier. While elves didn't have much use for money, they were saving it up to buy things for their littlest elveses, like the toys that the wizards bought for their little ones.

"WE IS NOT ANIMALS!" Tippy yelled angrily, before she could stop herself. "WE IS ELVES!"

The others on the street looked over at the commotion, a bit confused. Tippy gasped at her forwardness, and took a step back from the evil woman, feeling even more scared now. What had she'd done? She'd never yelled at a human before!

Tippy kept her hold on her brother as she disappeared with a loud crack.

Umbridge pursed her lips. "Well, that was most unusual."

"It's that Vita's doing. Rumors are saying that Vita pays them to work at Hogsmeade now! Can you imagine?"

Umbridge shook her head. "Well, that has to stop. Elves are clearly already thinking they are above their station. That cannot do. It's bad enough that the muggleborns are running amok." She said, glaring at a witch who passed by, wearing muggle clothes. Said witch looked at her a bit confusedly, but passed on. She hadn't heard what Umbridge had said.

"I quite agree." The man said smoothly. "You know, sometimes I wonder if that Potter kid and his lot have too much control over things. Something has to be done about this company that they own. It seems like they're...everywhere."

Umbridge nodded. "Quite right. I will talk to the Minister. Good day." She sniffed, and walked down to the Leaky Cauldron.

* * *

Tippy sniffled, blowing her nose on Firenze's mane. "And then she is taking our money! I is getting so mad, I is yelling at her!"

Firenze gently handed her a leaf so that she wouldn't blow her nose anymore on his hair. "There, there Tippy, it is only natural to feel anger. After all, Mars passes through the sky for everyone."

Tippy was a bit confused at the reference, but went on. "When she is hurting Tiggy, I is so upset. I is getting in trouble, aren't I?"

Firenze shook his head. He gave her a gentle smile, ruffling up her wispy light colored hair. "You are safe here, Tippy. Do not worry. That woman will get what is coming to her one day."

"I is hoping so. She is a mean old toad."

"I suppose you're talking about that Dolores Umbridge again?" Griphook asked, gnawing on a beetroot as he came through the clearing. Griphook had grown close to Firenze in these past few months. The Goblin was a visitor often during their off hours. The small group was settled on the far edge of the forest, a place where humans had never gotten to. Well except for Harry. But he wasn't fully human, was he?

The Goblin sat down on a stump, finishing up his beetroot. "That woman is the worst. I hear the were-packs have to always make themselves scarce when she goes on her 'tours' of Diagon Alley. Good thing she never goes to Knockturne."

Firenze looked thoughtful. "I wonder what Diagon Alley is like. None of my clan have never been there before."

Griphook made a face. "It's not that big of a deal. Too many humans about, stinking up the place."

"Not all the humans is bad." Tippy said, sniffling.

Griphook rolled his eyes at this. "You used to be a slave for them- hell, most of your kind are still enslaved to them. You can't trust humans. We've been at war with them more than once over their greed and avarice."

"Tippy makes a point, though. Some humans are good. That Neville fellow, and Miss Luna are exceptional, and Harry-"

"Potter is not fully human. And the others are exceptions." Griphook interrupted.

"But you are getting treated better, by those that live in the village." Firenze pointed out.

Griphook made a face. "You don't see us eating in those cafes with them, do you? You don't see us buying their clothes, or living in those little cottages, do you? No, we're separate. And that's fine. That's how it's been for centuries, and we're better off that way."

"Are we?" Tippy asked quietly. "I is earning money. I is allowed to buy things in Hogsmeade. I is giving presents to littlest brothers and sisters. I is making my own clothes now." She held out her dress. "I is like human now, yes?"

Firenze and Griphook exchanged a look. Both of their species had been at war with the humans on and off for centuries, and knew what the humans were capable of. While Firenze had never gone further than Hogsmeade, he had heard the stories that the elders had passed down through the generations. The elves, while having been around for just as long as them, had been fairly isolated and oppressed, and were just now knowing what freedom was like. They were still naive about humans.

Tippy dropped her skirt, looking rather sad. "That Umbridge lady is saying we is no better than animals." She whispered. "I is thinking and feeling too."

"Tippy, forget it. You're just gonna cause you and your kind lots of pain. You have no chance against the wizards. They've got magic, and they're much bigger than you, and you have no weapons, or war-magic like we Goblins do." Griphook said.

Firenze spoke up, squeezing her shoulder. "Tippy, some of your brothers have expressed an interest in learning the art of making bows and arrows, like we do. They go on patrols with us- perhaps they would be interested in learning some of our other ways as well?" He looked to Griphook.

Griphook frowned. "I cannot share our knowledge freely, especially with someone who is not of our race."

"Perhaps that is the problem. None of us can fight the humans on our own, but together..."

"But not all humans are bad!" Tippy cried as she saw Griphook grin scarily at Firenze's suggestion. "Some are good! Some are giving us money, is thanking us when we is working! Only Toad Lady is bad!"

"So...we wage war on the toad woman, and only her?" Griphook sneered. "There are many others like her. If we don't get rid of all of them, it will never end."

"I is not wanting to fight." Tippy said quietly, wringing her hands. "We elves is not fighting sort. We is only wanting to not be hurt anymore."

"Sometimes you have to fight for your rights." Firenze said, looking at her thoughtfully. "But I respect your thoughts of peace. Perhaps there is a peaceful way of solving this?"

"How?" Griphook narrowed his eyes. "Treaty after treaty we have signed with the humans, and they are constantly going back on their word. When will they learn?"

"I'm not sure." Fireze looked up at the sky above them thoughtfully. "While our world is becoming united in some ways, in others, it is still parted greatly. If we want to make changes, we need Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter is the bestest!" Tippy said happily, clapping her hands together.

"What do we need him for?" Griphook said. Normally, he wouldn't consider it at all, but Potter wasn't a full human. And Potter was the one that gave them this gig at Hogsmeade, and had made them a great deal of money over the years...

"He is the bringer of change." Firenze said cryptically. "Where he goes, change follows. I do not know for sure if it is purposeful on his part, or it is just...Fated to happen, but happen it does. I do know that Harry Potter is not a fan of Madam Umbridge as well. Something to do with the werewolves, I believe."

The three of them sat in silence for a bit.

Tippy spoke first. "I is talking to my family." She bowed low to them both, her nose brushing the floor. "Good night, Firenze and Griphook." And she popped away quietly.

Firenze and Griphook shared a look. Griphook stood from his stump, and stretched a bit. "You got a bit of that ale from your camp?"

Firenze smiled. "Why yes, I do."

* * *

Tippy watched the Great Harry Potter stare at her thoughtfully. He had his guitar in his lap, and the funny looking sheet music spread about him. Tippy had been so scared to speak to the Great Harry Potter herself- she'd never spoken to him directly before. And never something about this.

"I see." The boy finally said.

Tippy bit her lip, wringing her hands. She could feel his anger mounting. "I is not wanting to get angry, Great Harry Potter sir, but I is not helping it-"

"Your anger was justified." The boy said, his voice calm. He patted the earth next to him. They were sitting in the main camp of the elves, not far from the Centaur's camp. Their camp had grown quite a bit since settling in- their huts were short, but long, to accommodate their numbers. A strange variety of wizard, centaur, and muggle items decorated it the camp, from objects that had been lost or left behind.

The elves were going about their business, but Tibby could see the others staring at her and the Great Harry Potter with their wide eyes. She'd talked to her family about what had happened, and everyone was depending on her to talk to the Great Harry Potter, to see if he could do anything.

It was only luck that brought Harry Potter to their camp the day after she'd spoken to them. Or Fate, like Firenze had said.

"You deserve to be treated like anyone else. All of you work hard, and do more than your share. I know that none of us could do what we do without all of you." Harry smiled at her, tucking a lock of hair behind his ear.

Tippy smoothed down her dress as she sat down next to the half-human. "Great Harry Potter sir, I is only wanting my family to be's happy and is not hurting."

"Which is what everyone else wants. You're no different than I."

Tippy shook her head quickly. "No, Great Harry Potter sir, you is! You is different! You is special! You is-"

Harry held up a hand, and she went silent. He was smiling at her- he wasn't upset? "Tibby, let me see your hand."

The elf held it out, curious. Was he going to punish her? None of the Hogwarts elves had ever been punished before- not like their brothers and sisters in the Out There. Their hands met, and Harry nodded.

"See, you've got five fingers. I've got five fingers. You've got eyes, I've got eyes. You have a family, and I have a family as well. You care for them just as much as I care for mine. We are the same, you and I."

Tippy was silent, taking that in. Harry continued.

"While the Goblins and Centaurs may not look like us, they are the same as well. They care for their families, their clans, their homes. They want to make sure everyone is safe and well cared for. We are all the same- we are equal."

Tippy's ears wiggled as she thought deeper. "Is that why we is getting paid for our work now?"

Harry nodded. "All of you have the right to buy whatever you like, because you earn that money. No one should be able to take it away from you." His voice grew hard. "Umbridge has caused a great deal of problems over the years, and she's only gotten worse."

Tippy started to wring her hands again. "What is we doing?"

The boy looked thoughtful, setting his guitar aside. "We think and plan for now. I will see what I can do about getting your money back. After all, you are Vita's employees, and we look after our employees."

"Kind of like...family?" Tippy asked hopefully.

Harry chuckled, looking down at her. "I suppose so."

Tippy's spindly fingers absently played with the rose blossom on her shoulder. "The elves in the Out There has families too, but they is not treated well." She said sadly. "We is wanting them all to be happy, like us. Can you helps them too?"

Harry tilted his head. "Well...why don't _you_ help them?"

"Me?" Tippy asked in surprise.

Harry started to pick up his notes and things. "It's just a thought. It has to start from somewhere, doesn't it?" He paused in his note collecting, getting an idea. "You should come with me to the Ministry. You've got to deal with your fear face to face. We'll get your money back from Umbridge, together!"

"No...I...is...scared." Tippy said quietly. "I can'ts!"

Harry hugged her, and she quieted, a bit startled. While Harry was smaller than most full grown humans, he was still bigger than elves. Tippy could smell honeysuckle and berries on him, and she could feel his magic just...humming beneath his skin.

"Don't be scared. I'll be right there with you." The boy murmured, and Tippy found herself nodding, wanting to be brave, just like him.

* * *

Tibby stood in a line of five elves, chins held high. They were to recieve their feathers today. A small, select group of elves were allowed to patrol the forest with the Centaurs- the elves had started to consider it an honor to guard the forest alongside them.

It was an honor to get the redfeather from Firenze. When Firenze had called for him, Tibby was a bit confused, but he came. The other elves that were chosen were older than he, leaders of their teams. He didn't understand why he was chosen.

Firenze's hooves beat quietly on the earth as he paced back and forth in front of them.

"Like your elders before you, you five have been chosen to work with us in guarding the Forest. You will each be assigned a partner, and patrol a certain part of the forest. You and your Partner will work together for a year, while you are train in our arts."

The elves exchanged glances at this. What sort of arts?

Firenze paused in front of Tibby. "Tibby, you are the younger brother of the elf Tippy, correct?"

Tibby blinked. "Yes Mister Firenze Centaur sir."

Firenze raised a brow, and then addressed the others. "You will earn your Feathers if you find your Partners. Your objective is to get to the Black Lake unscathed, and find your Partner before you cross paths with the Acromantula."

The elves shuddered at this. They were snacks for the large spiders, and did their best to stay away from their hollow. The other elves popped away quietly. Firenze turned to look at Tibby. "Tibby, you will be assigned to me."

"You, Mister Firenze Centaur sir?" Tibby exclaimed in surprise.

"Just Firenze. Come, Tibby." He helped the elf onto his back, and they began to trot through the forest. "Your sister is a friend of mine. Did you know?"

Tibby shook his head, clutching at the Centaur's mane as they quickened their trot.

"No, I is not knowing."

"Well, we are. Have been for some time. She is a very special elf."

"I is thinking so too." Tibby said proudly.

"Which is why you should try your best to be a good brother. She is going to need help. I suppose you've heard that she talked to Harry Potter?"

Tibby bit his lip, huddling against the centaur's back as they lept over a log. "Yes Firenze sir."

"Then you know that Tippy will be going to the Ministry with him next week. What do the other elves say about her?" Firenze asked as he pulled some brush back, trotting over a shallow creek.

"We is...scared for her, but happy. We is wanting that Toad Lady to stop bothering people again. We is thinking that Tippy is brave. I...I is wishing I was as brave as Tippy."

They came to a sudden halt, and Tibby's eyes widened as he saw the clearing. The Fairy Clearing. The elves never usually ventured this way. It was an unspoken rule that the fairies deserved their privacy. Firenze helped Tibby off of his back. "Tibby, you are going to have the fortune of meeting Mab." The centaur said quietly. "The Fairies are going to go to sleep again for the season soon, so we must do this now. Will you be brave enough to do this?"

"To do what?" Tibby asked as they approached the Fairy House.

"Queen Mab, I have a very brave elf here to meet you." Firenze called out. Tibby huddled in between the Centaurs' legs as the fairies began to appear out of their hiding places. He gasped in delight at the sight of them, looking around with wide eyes.

An elegant looking fairy approached, the most beautiful of them all. She gave him the longest of looks. "Elf." She smiled. "Welcome."

Tibby gave a slight bow of his head, fighting the urge to get to his knees and bow all the way to the ground for her. While small, her power was strong.

Mab looked up to Firenze, wings flickering. "Firenze, how is your clan faring?"

"Very well, Queen."

"Good, very good." The mused, and floated back down so that she was at eye level with Tibby. "Follow me, Elf."

Tibby looked up at Firenze, looking rather unsure. Firenze gave him the slightest of nods. Mab led him down to the pond, by the rocks.

"Drink from the water. It's the last warm day of the fall, you surely must be thirsty."

"I...I is...Is you sure?" Tibby asked nervously, looking at the clear water.

Mab floated down to stand on the rocks. "I am quite sure. It's very good water."

She and Firenze shared a look as Tibby cupped some water into his hands, and brought it up to his lips to drink. He did not see this look. If he had, he might of thought that they knew something he didn't. He drank the water, closing his eyes. It was the sweetest, best water he'd ever tasted.

And just like that, he fell asleep on the rocks.

Firenze gently turned him over onto his back, and Mab floated onto the sleeping Elf's chest.

"It has been done. He will be the first, and the magic will spread. By the spring, their full magicks will return, and with it, their true forms." She looked sadly at the elf. "Aeons ago, these beings were my comrades, my brothers and sisters in arms. And they've been reduced to lowly, magic-starved servants, begging for kindness."

She fought against her tears. "We must strive for peace, but it is very hard when the humans must hurt others so much."

"Hopefully the elves will remember their true place in our society." Firenze said calmly. "And they will be treated as Equals, like the rest of us."

"There is inequality among the humans as well." Mab said, sitting down on Tibby's chest, running a tiny hand over his cheek. "There always has been. For as long as there is greed, there is inequality. For as long as there are beings looking for an answer, for someone to look up to, there are beings who take advantage of that trust." She patted the Elf's cheek.

"You've seen it, haven't you?" She asked absently.

"Yes." Firenze murmured. "She does not understand it yet. But she will."

"With Harry Potter at her side, she cannot have a better guide." Mab said with a small smile. She flew up, and sat on the Centaur's shoulder. "I do believe that things are changing." She said happily.

"They have been for nearly twenty years now. Since the Lion-child was born."

Mab sniffed. "Well, I was only reawakened properly a few years ago, if you recall."

"I do." Firenze looked down to the sleeping elf. "We should put him somewhere until he wakes up. Perhaps the shade of the tree? A sunburned Elf is not a good sight to see."

* * *

The song: _This New Day_, by Kelliana, from her album, I Walk With The Goddess. It's a pretty awesome album. You can't help yourself as you sing along and dance to it. She has a gorgeous voice. She's got a few albums out, check her out! :3

NOTE: Chapter title is a play on words on an old movie called _All About Eve_. It's good, check it out.

Some of you mentioned that my link to my deviant page got eaten up by ffnet- here it is again.

http: / hecateslover . deviantart . com /

(without the spaces, and add another /, for each one. For some reason, the extra ones got eaten when I saved.)


	12. Changes

Yay, next chapter! Thanks for reading, guys.

* * *

Parvati sighed, putting her hands on her hips as she looked around. Her sister was supposed to have the day off today to help her move in! Where was she anyways?

Her Mum and Dad were at one of the cafes, getting some breakfast for take-out. That was relatively new for their well-to do family- take out breakfast, that is. But things had changed a lot in the past few years. She and Padma had...gotten so distant from each other. Padma had finished school early and had gotten a job straight away with this Vita Corporation. Parvati had stayed on at New Hogwarts, and had just gotten a job last week with Witch Weekly. Yeah, she was only an assistant, but you have to start somewhere, right?

Parvati sat on the front steps of the cottage, frowning. Padma was...different, lately. She didn't know exactly what it was, but she was different. The two girls had always been wildly different from each other. Padma was their parent's favorite, of course, since she was so smart and all. Parvati was constantly getting into trouble for her muggle short skirts and wild makeup. And her grades.

Parvati looked around again, frowing. It wasn't like Padma to not show up. She was always on time, even a bit early, when meeting up with their parents. Parvati glanced back at the cottage. It was a little two story home that she shared with Hermione, Susan and Daphne.

Parvati furrowed a brow as she saw Hermione walk out of the house two doors down, hastily pulling on a rumpled robe. She was grinning like a loon, and hands tugged her back inside. Parvati's eyes widened as the arms wrapped around her, tugging her in just a bit. Whoever was snogging her was doing a good job of it, she mused. Parvati hid a smile as Hermione stumbled away from the house, and walked off in the opposite direction.

Hermione had a boyfriend, eh? That was a new development. She pouted. Padma should have told her straight away! Padma checked her watch, and looked down the street once more. Where was she? She'd knocked on the door a couple of times already-

The door opened behind her, and she stood quickly, turning around. Her smile faded as she saw an unfamiliar boy wearing a pair of muggle boxers and a white t-shirt. They froze as they saw each other.

"Uh...Hi." The boy said, sounding a bit unsure of himself. He bent down to pick up the newspaper (the Hogsmeade Hail) from the stoop. "Just...uh...one second."

He ducked back inside quickly, and moments later, Padma came to the door, a bathrobe thrown on. Padma's brows raised as she noticed that her sister wasn't wearing anything underneath the robe.

"Parvati! What are you doing here!" Padma asked shrilly, looking around.

Parvaiti looked at the boy, and then looked at her sister. "Mum and Dad are at the cafe, picking up breakfast. You know, you should probably get dressed."

They let her inside, and Parvati looked about the place. It was rather untidy, and Padma's books were piled up all over the tea table. She raised a brow as she saw boy's clothes all over the place, and a few pairs of his shoes by the front door.

"So...who are you?" She asked, getting straight to the point. "And how come I haven't heard of you until now?" She looked pointedly to her sister.

Padma blushed. "This is my boyfriend, Mark. Mark Owens."

"Nice to meet you Mark. So, you live here?"

"Uh...well...um..."

Padma tilted her head. "You didn't go to Hogwarts...but you haven't an American accent either..." She looked at her sister sharply. "Don't tell me that he's an Australian! That would explain why he's so cute! Why didn't you tell me?"

Mark started to laugh, and shook her hand. "Nope, Lived here in Scotland my whole life. Excuse me." Mark went upstairs to get dressed quickly. Padma fidgeted under her sister's gaze.

"Imagine, my sister a scarlet woman!" Parvati giggled. "Mum's going to be so pissed off!"

"Parvati, please don't tell her..."

"They're going to be here any minute. How long have you two been dating anyways? It has to be serious, for him to be living here. Is he older?"

"We've been dating for almost a year." She paused. "And he's actually a little bit younger than us." She went up the stairs, leaving Parvati to her thoughts. The girl glanced around the room and flicked her wand, tidying things up a bit. Their Mother and Father would not be happy with the mess.

Just in time too, Parvati could hear them talking as they approached the house. She opened the door just as Mark was walking down the stairs. "Mum, Dad, Parvati will be down in just a minute."

Mark froze as he saw the two adults, smiling weakly at them. He was wearing a pair of muggle jeans, and a hastily tucked in muggle shirt. Their Father was wearing a set of fancy looking robes, while their Mother wore an indigo Sari.

"Who is this?"

"Mark, Padma's boyfriend." Parvati said with a relish.

Mark shook their Father's hand just as Padma came down the stairs. Their Mother wouldn't allow him to shake her hand.

"I'm Mark Walker, nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Patil."

"Padma...I'd like to talk to you, please." Their Father said quietly. They went into the kitchen, and Mark glanced around the house, and then at Parvati.

"So...Padma tells me you've got a job at Witch Weekly...that's great!"

Parvati nodded, and glanced to her Mother. She was staring at the boy with a frown.

"What is your surname, young man?"

"Uh, Owens."

"A muggleborn?" Mrs. Patil said with wide eyes, bringing her hand up to her chest. "Dear me!"

"Uh...actually..."

"WHAT!" They could hear Mr. Patil yell suddenly. The man threw open the door, his face red with anger. "PARVATI, you are NOT living here with some MUGGLE!"

Parvati's jaw dropped, and she looked at Mark. Then she looked to her sister, who was in near tears. Then she looked to her parents. Her Mother looked like she was about to faint, and her Father, pop a blood vessel. She quickly looked away from them, and back to Mark, who was looking worriedly at Padma.

She came to a quick decision.

"You know, I think I'll get a place of my own. I wouldn't want to cramp Padma's and Mark's space anyways. I bet Lavender will want a roommate." She said flippantly. Honestly, her parents were so old fashioned. Good news was, she wasn't the black sheep of the family anymore!

Her Father sputtered, and their Mother started to cry."PADMA PATIL, CONSIDER YOURSELF DISOWNED!" Their Father roared.

The two of them walked out of the house quickly, away from the muggle and his germs.

Parvati held out her manicured nailed hand to Mark once they left, smiling at him. "Nice to meet you Mark. Now, have you got any brothers?"

Padma pulled her twin into a hug tightly, crying and laughing at the same time. "Don't ever change, Parv."

At the petname, Parvati gave her sister a small smile. Padma hadn't called her that in years. She just hugged her sister back.

* * *

Harry tucked carefully weaved the strands of dried grass together, adding the dried berries in here and there. A circle of female elves surrounded him, copying his moves. One of the smallest elves leant forward, watching him with wide eyes. "So you is tucking in the berries betweens the weaving?"

"That's right!" Harry said brightly. "And weaving your leaves together like this will make for much sturdier clothes. Now, I want all of you to practice, practice, practice. Winter will be coming up soon, and I don't want any of you to get sick." He said, watching Tippy come over, wearing her new dress.

Harry had helped her make it. He'd wanted to give her a new dress outright, but she wasn't having that. So she'd made it herself, with just a bit of help from him. She'd used the fallen leaves from the oak trees to make a colorful dress, her dark red roses adorning her dress as always. Harry did notice that she'd done her best to clean up, and wore shoes made out of buckskin.

"You look very pretty, Tippy." The other elves nodded their agreement, all smiles for their favorite elf.

"Thank you Great Harry Potter sir."

"Are you ready to go to the Ministry?" He asked.

Tippy nodded, albeit a bit nervously. "Alright. We're going to floo in, so let's go to the fire, shall we?"

They approached the bonfire in the camp, and Harry withdrew his pouch of floo powder from his robes. He picked her up. "It's easier if you just go with me. Now, be careful, and hide your face in my shoulder. One Tippy did that, Harry threw some powder in the fireplace and yelled. "Ministry of Magic!"

They reappeared in the grate in the Ministry atrium. Harry set Tippy down, brushing the soot from his robes. Tippy did the same, watching him as he did so. People stared at them openly as they passed. Most were used to seeing house elves, but never one dressed the way she was, or walking right alongside Harry Potter, instead of walking behind him, like any proper house elf should.

Harry knocked briskly on the door labeled as Madam Umbridge's. Her Secretary had nearly gone into cardiac arrest at the sight of him, and had let him in without a word.

"Yes?"

Harry opened the door, and the slimy smile that the woman had been wearing dropped instantly. Her eyes fell to the elf at Harry's side.

"Mr. Potter." She said, her voice saccharine sweet.

"Madam Umbridge." Harry returned politely. He looked down to the elf at his side. "This is my employee and friend Miss Tippy. She says that you took 12 Galleons, 8 sickles, and 7 knuts from her and her family last week. Is that right?"

The woman leant back in her chair. "Elves don't own property. They certainly don't have any money."

Harry frowned. "There are no laws that state that."

"There certainly is!" The woman said, and summoned a thick dusty tome, and began to read.

"For Magical Creatures, Class B, which include Goblins, Centaurs, and House Elves, by the way, are not allowed to carry wands, own more than the clothes on their back, and do not own any physical property such as their home, money, and other items of value. To own such things mean that they broke the law, and will be executed on sight."

Harry's brows rose.

"This was written in 1281." The woman said primly, closing the book with a dull thud. "So, if you are paying these...elves and centaurs of yours, not only will they be executed, you and your little company will be closed down for good." A happy little light entered her eyes.

"I see. Well, for your information, the elves do not get any of that money themselves." Harry lied blatantly. The Goblins had to have a loophole in one of their treaties because they certainly owned quite a bit of money. Anyways, Goblins and elves didn't even need wands to do magic.

"Oh?"

"They all put the money in Vita's funds at the end of the day. It keeps our business going. It is purely a business arrangement- they volunteer their time, and we allow them to do this." The elves kept all of their money- they didn't give a cent to Vita, no matter how much they'd offered at the beginning.

"And they are beginning to think above their station, as a result." The woman said frostily. Thwarted, yet again!

"Well, maybe they should." Harry said.

Madam Umbridge stood, trying to look imposing. It didn't work, considering Harry was just a bit taller than her.

"Listen to me, you punk kid, you're not fooling anyone with that smile of yours and all those articles in the paper. Sure, you might be popular, but who do you think you are?"

Her lip curled as she looked him over. "I just see a kid with a bad hairdo and horrible taste in muggle clothing. You haven't even gotten a shave yet, have you?"

Harry frowned at her, squeezing Tippy's shoulder as she looked like she was about to speak up in Harry's defense.

"Ma'am, you are the last person that should be talking about fashion. If I do not have a deposit of 12 Galleons, 8 sickles, and 7 knuts by the end of the day from you, I will publish this in all of our newspapers. No one treats any of my employees or friends this way. No one. Yeah, I might be a punk kid, but I'm the punk kid that works with the company that owns the Daily Prophet and a large share of all the other newspapers in this country."

With that, they left the office, making Umbridge rethink her strategies for a bit.

* * *

"Kit has some balls." Shep said, reading his copy of the _Hogsmeade Hail_.

"Who knew the runt had it in him?" Franz said with a grin. They were taking their lunch break while their packs were working on the latest of Draco Malfoy's projects- a theatre on the corner where Knockturne Alley and Diagon Alley met. A sign posted on the outside of the building had Vita's name on it, and below, had Shep's and Franz' names as the contractors. Shep and Franz were pretty proud of that sign.

"I'd really love to give it to that Umbridge woman. I'd just want to sink my teeth into her on some full moon and see how she likes being one of us half breeds..." Shep said darkly.

Franz laughed softly at this. "This Umbridge is not very well liked- how is she able to stay at this Ministry of Magic anyways?"

"Money, and lots of it."

The two men read for a bit more, and Shep lowered his paper. "Hey...you hear that Draco fellow and Miss Lovegood are getting hitched?"

"They're just puppies." Franz scoffed. "Much too early for marrying. You think she's up the duff?"

"Nah, didn't smell it on her. Saw her the other day, when she brought cookies and snacks for the pups."

"She's a sweet one, and sweet on the eyes too." Franz said with a wolfish grin.

"She's our boss too, you know." Shep said chidingly.

"Wonder if they got together over business planning meetings and do it d-"

"Franz, you're one sick wolf. Yeah, those pups might be good lookin', but they're still pups."

"Hey, you got a thing for Kit." Franz said with a leer. "Is that any different?"

Shep looked away, blushing a bit. "Everyone thinks Kit is hot. That's different."

* * *

Luna hummed as she had her notes and plans spread about her. She was in the middle of planning her wedding. Draco had wanted something fancy, at Malfoy Manor, in their ballroom, like all of his family had done. He also wanted to hire a wedding planner, a caterer, and all sorts of things. Luna wasn't having any of it.

Luna had decided to have the wedding in Hogsmeade, at the ground's gates. It seemed fitting, since that allowed for everyone to be there. She wanted it to be a winter wedding, with brilliant white snow as their backdrop. It would be in early December, specifically on the fifth. That's the day that Luna predicted on her charts to be the best

Harry and Neville, of course, would stand at their side, as part of the wedding party. Draco had mentioned casually to the two of them that it could easily be turned into a double wedding, but Neville shot that down quickly. They would have their wedding in their own time- this day would be just for Draco and Luna. Harry agreed.

Neville was planning the flowers, of course, and Harry was making the guest list and helping the elves with planning the food arrangements. She was sorting through the arrangements- Draco had insisted that the wedding be announced in the Society section of the Daily Prophet, which meant that it would also be published in their other papers as well. Which meant interviews and reporters.

They hadn't made the news public yet, but they would soon. Perhaps it would distract everyone from this business with the Ministry. Umbridge was still trying her best to keep the elves from performing in Diagon Alley and in Hogsmeade, stating that there was some such law that kept them from doing so. The group was trying their best to fight her on this.

Luna sighed sadly, looking all the notes and plans, shaking her head. When she'd been little, had always imagined that her Father would walk her down the isle. She felt a bit saddened by this. Draco's Mother wasn't going to be there either- she would have been a great help for all this. Probably would have done her best to take it over, too. Luna fiddled with her pen thoughtfully, looking up at the sky.

"Daddy...Mummy...I'd really like some help."

After a moment of silence, the wind picked up suddenly, making her notes scatter across the dried leaves and grass. As she hastily picked them up, she found a drawing that she'd forgotten about. Her wedding dress. Dirt was smeared across it, but in a strange pattern, and Luna's eyes widened, and a smile spread on her face.

* * *

Harry was woken with a kiss, and he opened his eyes. "Hello Luna."

"Good morning Harry." She bounced up and down in the bed. "Come and help me! I've got a lot to do today!" She tugged him out of the bed.

"What are we doing?" Harry asked sleepily, glancing back to the sleeping boys in their bed.

"Collecting materials. For my wedding dress."

Harry was wide awake at this, and grinned widely. "Lead the way."

As the two of them walked through the forest, Harry spoke to her quietly. "Are you nervous? About the wedding? It's a lot sooner than we had all planned, you know."

Luna shrugged, picking up a few stray unicorn hairs from a branch. "December 5th is best. I know all of you were kind of looking forward to a spring wedding, but the charts say it would be best for Draco and I." She paused, smiling at Harry. "Perhaps you and Neville will have a spring wedding?"

Harry looked away, blushing. "We're in no hurry to get married."

"Because you practically are, already. I know the only reason Draco and I are getting married is because, well, everyone expects us to. He's the Heir of a powerful pureblood house, and he needs an Heir of his own. Yes, we love each other, but we don't need a paper to tell us that."

Harry frowned, and Luna went on. "You and Neville, however, are both heirs of your Family, but you are not pressured as much to marry, since you are both Male. While you are able to have children together, potentially, it's just..."

"Not done that often." Harry finished for her. "I know. I just...don't want to do things because people expect me to. I've had enough of that over the years."

"I know." Luna said simply.

* * *

December Fifth arrived. For a couple of weeks now, all of the papers had been reporting about the Wedding between Draco and Luna. Magicals and Muggles alike were lined up in Hogsmeade, for a chance to see the wizarding marriage. Mixed in the crowd were happily crying house elves. Traditionally, marriages in the wizarding world were performed within the privacy of the couple's own home or garden, usually with just their close friends and family about.

It had snowed just a few days before, and a thick blanket of brilliant white snow laid on the ground. The main street of Hogsmeade had been cleared, and muggles and magicals alike were standing by for the procession. At the gates of the Forest grounds, stood a line of Centaurs, standing proudly with their heads high.

Albus Dumbledore had been nice enough to volunteer as the officiate. He was standing in the middle of the gates, looking rather serene in his twinkling blue robes. Harry and Neville stood on either side of Draco, who was a nervous wreck. He didn't show it, of course, but he was. Draco was wearing soft grey robes in suede and velvet. He watched the pathway with some trepidation.

All three boys inhaled sharply with anticipation as they saw the elves begin their procession. Tippy was in front, wearing a cobwebby dress with white roses on her shoulder. She was holding a bouquet of flowers, and she looked very pretty. Some of the house elves watching started to cheer for her. House elves were never usually in a wizarding ceremony, and it was quite a surprise. Cameras from the newspapers started to go off.

Behind her were two smaller elves, dancing about, scattering flowers onto the snowy cobblestone street. They were wearing similar dresses to Tippy's. Then...Luna arrived. She wore a white-grey gown, with a webbed veil. Her blonde hair had been grown out with a spell for the occasion, finally returning it to the length it had been when the four of them had just been children.

The skirts trailed after her on the street, and she held a bouquet of winter flowers in her hands. Harry felt his hands shaking as the girl approached. Luna was beautiful. She approached the three of them, and Harry and Neville took a slight step back, allowing Luna to step forward with Draco.

Hagrid burst into tears at this. Loudly.

The reception was fun, with lots of drunken dancing, toasts to the bride and groom, and crying from crushed fans. Still, the wedding and the reception was a hit, and everyone had fun.

* * *

While the wizarding world celebrated the wedding of Luna Lovegood and Draco Malfoy, there was woman that was taking advantage of everyone's preoccupation with the wedding. She sat in her office, filling out some paperwork with a nasty smirk on her face.

"We'll see who's in charge now, Harry Potter." She said, her quill quickening with anticipation

* * *

So...what did you think? Please review...


	13. Oh

Tippy was humming as she was walking up Diagon Alley, to meet up with her siblings. They were supposed to be performing in the square, and she was to meet them so they could all go get some lunch together. There was a special at Florean's, and the ice cream man had always been really nice to them. She was looking forward to a triple chocolate Sunday, thinking about her morning when she stopped short, watching that old toad lady and men dressed in green struggling to contain her brothers and sisters. They were trying to put them into cages, but they kept popping right back out and hitting the men in green.

A crowd of wizards stood around them, pointing and talking. Tippy scowled, and clenched her fists.

"Tippy?" She heard someone call her name, and she whirled around quickly, seeing that Colin Creevey fellow. His arms were full of paperwork, and as always, he had a camera strapped around his neck. "What's going on?"

Tippy pointed to the crowd. "That mean toad lady is taking my brothers and sisters!"

Colin gasped, and dropped the paperwork, and ran forward, taking pictures as he went. Tippy followed him, filled with anger. Her brother Tibby had actually gotten a good punch into one of the men's crotch just as they arrived.

"What's going on here?" Colin asked, and Umbridge smiled swarmily at him.

"No press allowed. Gentlemen, take the camera-"

"No!" Colin cried, and the guys grabbed the camera and smashed it to bits. The crowd around them only got larger.

"Hey, that's not right." Someone muttered.

"Yeah, that's just not on, smashing Colin's Camera." Someone else murmured.

"What are you arresting the little blighters for anyways? They're not botherin' anybody..." An older man complained, tapping his walking stick to the ground.

Umbridge pursed her lips together, and pulled out a scroll, and read from it. "A new law was passed just last night. All House Elves in our community must be registered and are now owned by the Ministry of Magic, if they are not owned already. We will put them in good homes, with people that will treat them as they should be. We are taking these elves to their new homes-"

"NO!" Tippy screamed as the men grabbed her too. She wriggled as they put a pair of strange looking cuffs on her, just like the cuffs her brothers and sisters now wore, and with a loud bang, the two men were knocked off their feet, and Tippy was dropped back to the ground. Her brother, Tibby had his hands out before him, and his eyes were wide. He looked...a bit surprised that he'd done that.

All the wizards around them took a step back, looking at the elves warily.

Umbridge spoke up. "See! This is what I'm speaking of! If these elves have a proper home, they won't resort to violence, and they will be safe and sound with their new owners. We are only looking out for the safety of all of our people."

Colin scowled openly at her. "They're not servants! They deserve to be free, just like anyone else! You can't separate them-"

"Watch me." The woman hissed.

The men in green stunned all the elves, but instead of making them drop unconscious, the elves only staggered slightly. Tippy grabbed her brother, and tried to pop away, but she couldn't. None of them could- it was those damned cuffs! The men grabbed them, and stunned them once more.

* * *

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THEY WERE TAKEN AWAY?" Harry yelled. Colin flinched, and Harry tried to calm himself down. Neville squeezed his shoulder. "I'm sorry Colin, I didn't mean to yell at you."

"I know. I'm upset too." Colin said gently. "That's why I came to you guys straight away. What can we do about it? No doubt they've got the elves put up somewhere, and they'll be coming here soon enough."

"I know." Harry said, running his hands through his hair. "Neville, can you see who passed this Bill? And see if there's any loopholes? I'm going to go see someone."

"Who?" Neville asked.

Harry just gave him a grim look. "The Muggle Prime Minister."

* * *

Harry popped into the Muggle Prime Minister's office, making the man at his desk fall off his chair and onto the floor. His head popped up over the edge of the desk.

"Oh, it's you! How did you get here? Wait, never mind, I suppose that was some...magical thing, right?"

The man stood, looking distinctly relieved. Harry gave him a tight smile. "It's good to see you sir. I'm sorry to drop in on you like this, but there's...a problem. I need your advice."

The man motioned to a chair, and Harry sat. The man studied him openly. "Surely you've got people that could help you better than I can- right?"

Harry shook his head. "You've met our Minister. His colleagues aren't much better. In fact, they're worse. Have you been keeping up with the_ Hogsmeade Hail_?"

The man smiled at this. "Actually, I have. My daughter reads it as well. I heard your friends got married."

"Oh, yeah. Thanks. They're still in Paris for their honeymoon. I think that's part of what happened." Harry paused. "We've all been so busy trying to organize the wedding and everything, that a...law was passed that, well...you remember the house elves, right?"

"The funny little creatures with the big eyes and ears?"

Harry gave a slight shrug. "I suppose. They're also a very important part of our workforce and our village. Unfortunately...a very bigoted woman made a Bill so that our Ministry could round all of them up and sell them off to the highest bidder."

The man's jaw dropped. "Slavery?"

Harry looked away. "Unfortunately, it's pretty common for a house elf to be a slave to a house or a family. However, all the elves that lived in Hogsmeade are free elves. They used to be in service at Hogwarts, but since the school no longer exists, they do not have that connection any more." Harry bit his lip. "They're free for the first time in centuries, able to earn money and raise their own families, buy whatever they like, do whatever they like...some people don't like that."

The Prime Minister leant back in his chair. "I see. And you're here because..."

"I don't know what to do. My Ministry is clearly alright with this, since they passed the law. But it's wrong. What's to stop them from trying to do this for our Centaur friends, or the Goblins? If they tried to do that to the Goblins, we'd have another war on our hands. It's bad enough that they've banned werewolves from the UK."

The man looked thoughtful. "It seems like we've got a problem here. Tell you what, I will talk to your Minister myself. Thank you for bringing up this to my attention." He paused. "I have intelligence that there is another group of your...sort that is in negotiations with their Ministry to open a public area, doing what you are doing in Hogsmeade."

Harry's eyes widened. "Where? Who?"

The man smiled. "The Americans, in Salem Mass. They say that they were inspired by you. Some kid, I think he knows you, someone named Smith, says he can't let you have all the fun."

Harry chuckled at this, shaking his head. "Well, well." He sighed. "So...will you help me talk to the Minister? Tell him the strides that muggles have made against Slavery? He might not listen to me."

"I will do my best. I do agree that what is happening is inhumane, despite these er...beings are not human. But they should be treated properly- if they want to be free, they should have every right to be. That goes for any other...er beings that you have."

Harry smiled. "Thank you sir."

The man looked at him thoughtfully. "If you ever wish to contact me again, please don't just...appear in my office like that. I'm sure you're giving my guards a heart attack right now. If you must, enter the building from the outside, so you can go through all the security checkpoints like everyone else."

Harry nodded. "I'm sorry sir. I wasn't thinking straight- some of these elves are my friends, and I'm worried for their safety."

"It's quite alright."

* * *

Draco rolled over in his bed with a sigh. He opened his eyes, and smiled as he saw the blonde next to him. She was hugging her pillow, her mouth open slightly. Draco bit back a chuckle as he noticed she was drooling a bit. This girl was...his wife. It was so strange to think that. It felt the same, but it was different at the same time. He reached over, and slid a hand over her bare shoulder.

She sighed, a small smile appearing on her face. She snuggled up to him. Draco kissed her gently, coaxing her carefully into waking. They only had the weekend for their honeymoon, and he was going to make the most of it.

"Hmm...Draco?"

He tilted her face up to his, and kissed her. "Good morning wife."

Luna gave him a beautiful smile, blinking up at him sleepily. "Good morning husband." She said cheekily.

"How does a day in bed sound to you?" Draco asked, running his hands down her back.

"Why, I think that sounds just perfect."

* * *

Tippy and Tibby had been seperated on purpose, Tibby knew. He was in a big house that already had lots of elves. He was sad to see so many of them were weak and injured. The new elves still wore their cuffs, not allowing them to pop away back home.

Tibby was in the kitchens, glaring at the dirty plates that the elves were washing. He was a free elf- he was owned by no one. It made him so angry to just go along with whatever their human master wished. The man was mean, and hurt his brothers and sisters- and took special care to hurt Tibby. He said Tibby needed to learn his place.

Tibby's long fingers lingered on one of the knives he was washing. He glanced at one of the older elves at his side, who had been watching him. The elf turned his back to Tibby- clearly, he wasn't going to get involved with Tibby breaking the rules.

Tibby knew he wasn't like other elves. Not anymore. Something was happening to him- he could feel it. It had all started when he'd met that fairy. He was stronger than most elves, and he was just a bit bigger too- not taller, but just...sturdier looking.

His big eyes were no longer rhumey, and his skin was no longer paper thin- he didn't bruise nearly as easily as his brothers and sisters did. His skin was no longer mottled grey and green, and now had started to change to a healthy green/brown color. His white hair started to grow- instead of whispy patches, it was coming out a bit thicker and stronger.

He wasn't the only one. His sister Tippy, she was changing too, and some of Tibby's closest friends were as well. Tibby was scared that they would turn back, that they would be like these others, these...weak willed elves.

His hand closed around the knife and he slid it into the pocket of the uniform he wore. He missed his clothes. He missed his family and friends. Most of all, he missed the Forest.

* * *

Jean stopped short as she saw the stick in her boyfriend's hand. "Dean...why are you carrying one of those wand things?"

Dean hastily tried to hide the wand behind his back. He had been trying to clean up after dinner while Jean was in the loo.

"Er...surprise?"

Jean stared at the stick, and then stared at her boyfriend. They had only been together for a couple of months. They were both students at the muggle art school in London that Dean attended.

"Don't tell me you buy all that magic crap that they're spouting over in that Hogsmeade place?" Jean said, her face twisting. The one time she had a seemingly normal, straight boyfriend, and now he turns this on her. If he turned out to be one of those crazy wiccans, she was leaving right now!

Dean frowned at this. "Jean, it's not crap! It's real!"

Jean huffed, not believing him. She grabbed her bag. "God, I can't believe you. This is just...typical! Let me guess, you think those creatures they have there are real too?" She bit out as she slammed the door open. "Grow up! Magic isn't real!"

Jean started down the stairs, and she jumped a mile as Dean apparated in front of her. She screamed, and Dean covered her mouth with his hands. Some of their neighbors in the dorm poked their heads out. Dean backed off immeadiately, keeping his hands up.

Jean stared at her boyfriend, frightened, shaking her head in denial. "It's not real, it's not real! Hogsmeade is just a stupid tourist attraction for little kids!"

"It's real!" Dean yelled back. Their neighbors started to gather around them. "It's all real! I'm a wizard-" People began to laugh at this, and Dean kept talking. "Magic is real!"

"Yeah fucking right, weirdo." One of the guys murmured, elbowing one of his friends.

Dean flicked his wand, and levitated the beat up arm chair that was sitting in the hallway. The entire group went silent.

Dean tensed as he realised what he'd just done. "Shit."

* * *

Dean wasn't the only one to reveal that magic was real to muggles. The Ministry of Magic collected fine after fine from every day witches and wizards that accidentally (and not so accidentally) revealed their magic to their friends and neighbors. And it wasn't just restricted to the UK either.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore banged his gavel, trying to calm the gathered witches and wizards in the chambers. "Order! Order!"

The ICW was gathered that day to try to figure out what was going to happen. There was a sharp incline of muggles sighting magic. More and more reports poured in from all over the world, and obliviation squads were working overtime. It seemed as though people didn't want to hide their magic any more. It seemed as though the muggles were slowly starting to believe that...maybe...magic was real.

"ORDER!" Albus Dumbledore roared once more. At that moment, the chamber doors opened, revealing the Noreigian Muggle Minister, the Prime Minister of the UK, Secretary of Home Affairs for France, and the Secretary of State for the United States, and the Magical President of the United States (Adam Smith). And they were accompanied by one Harry Potter.

All of the witches and wizards gathered went silent immeadiately at the sight of the muggles.

Adam Smith spoke up. "I thought it might be a good idea to bring these men into our chambers here- after all, we will need their help and cooperation with this as well."

People began to protest immeadiately, and Harry Potter flicked his wand, shooting up gold and white sparks into the air. "SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU!"

They went silent once teenager, despite his small stature, could definitely get people's attention when he wanted to.

The teenager spoke. "Now, all of you are going to sit down, and we're going to discuss this reasonably. We have a great deal of problems to solve, and they need to be done quickly. I suggest we bring in all of your muggle counterparts as quickly as possible-" He held up his hands at this, making murmurs quieten.

"I know we all have our differences, but this is something that affects each and every one of us. Muggles and Magicals alike share our world, and we need to figure out how to make this work. Whether you like it or not, muggles are already finding out about magic. We just need to decide how it's going to be done."

Dumbledore spoke up. "It started with Hogsmeade. The witches and wizards of our country became too lax about hiding their magic in the village, and stopped hiding it elsewhere. Do you realise the implications of this?"

"Yes." The boy's voice grew stronger. "With muggle technology as it today, the word is spreading faster than ever. By the time this year is over, all of the muggles will know of magic. Muggles and Magicals alike fear what they do not know- what we need to do is integrate our society gradually- do not keep magic hidden any longer, and do not keep muggles from it-"

There were immeadiate protests.

* * *

Draco sighed as he buried his face in his hands. Stacks of paperwork surrounded him. Luna leant over, kissing his cheek. "You alright?"

"I'm fine. Just...a lot of work. How is the search coming?"

Luna was trying her best to find a loophole in the Bill that Umbridge introduced, and to see if there was a chance of rescinding it. Their remaining elves in the village did not leave the forest now, for fear of being captured by Umbridge and her men. The villagers and muggles alike were sad to see them in hiding.

"Terrible. I've got a lot of people working on it."

"Do you realise how much money those little elves saved us? Do you realise how much money they brought in? We need them back, Luna." Draco murmured.

Luna rolled her eyes. "And they need to be free as well, most importantly."

Draco gave her a slight glare. "Look, I'm just looking at the facts and numbers. While the rest of you can concentrate of the virtues of freedom and peace and all that shit, I'm focusing on the hard truth. We need to get those elves back."

Luna tilted her head. "You're worried about them, aren't you?"

Draco looked away. "Look, I grew up with house elves at the manor. Father always treated them terribly...who knows how they're being treated now?"

"I know." Luna murmured, hugging him from behind. "I know."

* * *

Tibby bit into the cloth as he cut at his arm, trying to stifle his cries. He was trying so hard to get the cuff off of his arm. It was a bloody mess now, but the pain only just made him angrier.

He heard a squeak, and saw one of his sisters staring into the cupboard with wide eyes. It was Missy. She was the house elf that served the little Mistress, who had taken to following him around when she wasn't working. She crept into the cupoard, closing the door behind her.

"Tibby, why is you hurting yourself? Is you being punished?" She asked quietly.

Tibby hissed as he finally got through to the bone. "No." He murmured, and continued to saw away. "I'm getting out of here."

Missy started to cry. "You is not liking the Manor? You is not liking us elves?"

"No, not Missy, it's not you. Haven't...haven't you ever wanted to be free?"

The elf shook her head quickly. "No, I is not allowed-"

"Haven't you ever wondered what it would be like?" Tibby cut himself off. "What it feels like to wake up with your brothers and sisters and look forward to whatever you planned that day? To walk around with the humans without fear of them hurting you?"

"I is...I is coming back." Missy whispered, and left the cupboard quickly.

Not too much later, she returned with a blanket, a pitcher of water, some rags, a sewing kit, and an axe. Tibby stared at the axe that had been hefted over her shoulder with wide eyes.

Missy set about arranging everything. "I is helping. Hold outs your arm. I is be chopping quickly."

Tibby held out his arm on the ground, and turned his face away as Missy brought the axe down. Blood spattered every where, and Tibby cried out in pain. His hand was on the floor. The shackle fell from his wrist. Tibby breathed harshly as blood spurted from his stumpy arm.

"Missy..." He whispered.

"I is helping, I is helping!" The two elves hurried to patch him up. Tibby could feel his magic strenghthening once more, and he knew everything would be alright.

"I've got to lay low while we make plans." Tibby winced as Missy sewed his skin together. "I have to get the others out too."

Missy spoke quietly. "There is being a big party here at the Manor in two weeks. Lots of guests are allowing Master and Mistress to borrow elves to help make preparations. We is freeing them too?" She sounded hopeful for the first time.

Tibby gave her a sharp nod. "Yes. As many as we can."

* * *

Tippy paused in her cleaning the study as she heard a song on the wizarding wireless. She recognized the voice instantly. It was Harry, singing _This New Day. _The other elves, who were also cleaning, stopped their work and listened. Tippy's thoughts were with her friend, and with were with Hogsmeade, the Forest, and the villagers.

"And that was Kit, singing This New Day!" The radio announcer said, making the other elves go back to their cleaning. "Kit here as asked to say just a few words for us. Kit?"

"Thank you. Yes, I'd like to say a few words- the song was dedicated to all of my friends out there, near and far. I just wanted to let you know that I'm thinking of you always. We'll get together soon, I'm sure of it."

"...Alright, thanks Kit! Now, we've got another song here that's flying right up the charts, by Celestina Warbeck-"

Tippy drowned out the noises of the wireless, lost in thought. She missed Harry. She wanted to go back home.

"Tippy, why is you not cleaning?" One of the others asked her.

"I was just thinking about Kit." She said quietly. "Kit is being a good friend of mine."

The others gathered around her, facisnated. "Is Kit is beautiful as they say he is?"

"Yes, and more." Tippy said sadly. "I is wanting to go home. I is missing everyone."

One of the elves glanced to the closed study door. "I is hearing from my sister in the Cuthbert house that your Brother Tibby is making plans."

Tippy gasped. "Tibby? Is he alright?"

"I is supposing so." The elf shrugged, glancing back at the door. "My sister is saying there is big party. Lots of elveses will be there." The elf paused. "Some elveses are sneaking in." He whispered. "My sister is wanting us to go to party too."

"I want to go. I want to see Tibby." Tippy said, tossing her feather duster aside. "How is we getting there?"

* * *

Lots of stuff happening! Thanks for reading.


	14. Chapter 14

Prepare for a tear jerker of a chapter. Please don't kill me.

* * *

Draco pursed his lips as he studied the cuffs in his hands. "These little things are what is keeping the elves from escaping?"

The man nodded, glancing at his office door. A fat sack of galleons sat on his desk. When Draco Malfoy handed you a sack of money that held more in it than you made in an entire year, you listened to him. He grew nervous as he saw the man studying the cuffs.

"How do they work?"

"Well, there are runes on here, a spell activates them ahead of time, and only the caster can take the cuffs off."

"Looks like they're made of copper."

"Of course- we wouldn't waste valuable gold on elves." The man sneered.

"I suppose the magic strengthens the metal, so it's not so malleable. Tell me the names of the men that captured my employees."

"Uh..."

"Tell me, and I will double the amount."

The man glanced towards his office door. "Why do you want to know? You're not going to free them, are you?"

"Of course not! I just want to use these cuffs for the elfs that we employ in the future, that's all." Draco said smoothly, a smirk on his face. "So?"

* * *

Draco looked about the sitting room, casually looking around the place. It was full of Ministry employees and other society folk. He'd managed to buy an invitation from someone, and was surrupticiously looking around for the house elves. They were all probably in the kitchens- aha!

He saw an elf pop quietly with a tray of drinks in her hands. Several drunken partiers took their drinks from her tray, and Draco approached casually. She wasn't wearing cuffs. She wasn't one of theirs, then, but perhaps she would know...

He grabbed a glass of red wine, and murmured.

"Are Tippy and Tibby here?" He asked, and took a sip of his wine. The elf glanced about nervously, and gave him the smallest of nods.

"Good. And the others?"

She gave him another small nod, and popped away.

Draco was sitting at the long banquet table, watching Madam Umbrige carefully over the top of his tea. The woman was spouting propaganda nonsense to the Head of the Goblin Liason department. He set his tea down, frowning slightly as he'd noticed his napkin had fallen from his lap.

He bent down to pick it up, and his eyes widened as he saw a large group of elves under the table. Tippy beamed as she saw him, and raised a finger to her mouth. Draco kept his face cleared, and sat back up, folding his napkin in his lap.

"Would you like some more steak, Madam Umbrige?" The host asked charmingly.

"Oh yes, thank you!"

"Elf!" The man called, and the elf from earlier appeared, looking rather antsy for some reason. "Yes Master?"

"Please bring some steak for Madam Umbridge here."

The elf gave a slight curtsey, and popped away.

A moment later, another elf appeared, with a platter with a juicy steak on it. Draco leant back in his chair in recognition. Tibby.

Tibby bowed slightly as he presented the steak to Madam Umbrige. The woman looked ridiculously pleased.

"See, you just got to put them in their place, is all." She said with a smirk, and picked up her fork. The others laughed, toasting to this. Draco saw the woman frown slightly as her hand groped for her steak knife.

"Elf! Get me a steak knife!" She ordered.

Tibby nodded quickly, and gave another slight bow. Draco breathed in sharply as he noticed the elf already held a knife in his hand, half hidden in his side. In the blink of an eye, the knife was at her throat, slitting into her blubbery skin with ease, blood spilling onto her ugly dress and onto the table before her.

There were screams and cries as witches and wizards fled. Tibby just kept stabbing, Umbrige choking on her blood, clutching at her chest. Draco stood from his place finally, in shock. The screams barely disguised the noise of elves popping away from the manor, the magics on their cuffs weakening, as Umbrige herself had spelled many of them. The cuffs were left on the floor, broken and in pieces, forgotten in the calamity.

Tibby was pulled away by two men, finally dropping the knife to the floor, grinning madly. "She's dead! The old frog lady is dead!"

* * *

The next day, the news was centered on the fact that a House Elf committed murder for the first time in memory. Elves began disappearing from their homes in droves, their Masters and Mistresses were fearful of them for the first time.

The Forbidden Forest is where they gathered, over 8,000 of them. They were all cramped in their tiny houses, scared about what was going to happen to them all.

Tibby was going to be put on trial. To be made an example of, so the Ministry said. He'd even been put into a holding cell, at the Ministry, watched by Aurors carefully.

Harry and the others demanded to see him, to represent his case, but they weren't allowed. The elf was to be given representation from the Ministry, which would undoubtedly be his death. They weren't even allowed in the Court room.

Harry stood outside the courtroom, thinking about the trial taking place inside. Draco was pacing back and forth, while Luna serenely stared at the cieling. Neville was leaning against the wall next to him, scowling at the floor. Reporters and others were gathering in the hallway as well, taking quotes and waiting to hear the were a couple of elves hidden in the crowd as well, under invisibility spells. Missy was wringing her hands together, sticking closely to Tippy's side. Tippy was watching the doors carefully.

It was taking an awfully long time.

Harry's mind raced- what could he do to help? He glanced at the doors. The Prime Minister was aware of the situation, but he was dealing with a rather pressing problem as well- trying to organize a meeting of the muggle United Nations with the ICW. Adam Smith was helping him, along with a few others, ut he was focused on that at the moment. Harry knew that the man was thinking of the trial, but the Prime Minister had no control over the Ministry of Magic's laws.

The doors finally opened, and the reporters swarmed forth, taking pictures. Harry and the others pushed their way through the crowds, and Harry saw Tibby being carried in his cage, grimacing at all the bright lights in his eyes.

Harry felt claustrophobic at all the questions and talking, and flashing cameras- all he could see was the defeated look on the elf's face. Luna grabbed his hand as they followed the crowd through the Ministry.

Harry began to murmur something, trying to even out his breathing.

"_Mother help me_" He whispered, closing his eyes.

He started again, and sang it louder, his voice masked by the reporters and the crowd.

"_Mother Heal Me_

_Please Release Me_

_From All things worldly_

_That do not serve me_"

His voice grew stronger, and people began to look about, wondering where the voice was coming from. Tibby's ears perked up at this, and his hand clutched at the bars, eyes searching the crowd.

The Minister finally began to get settled in, and started to speak.

"We have decided that if the Elf wants to be like everyone else, he should be punished like everyone else as well. He will be served the Kiss at sunset-"

The crowd broke into gasps and murmurs, and Harry could feel Tippy shuddering against his legs. Luna picked the elf up, while Neville picked up Missy, so that they could see Tibby up in front. The elve's eyes were still searching the crowd.

"If another Elf attacks a witch or wizard, we will consider it an act of War, and kill all Elves on sight!" The man continued, and Harry shook his head, fear building in his gut. This was soo...bad.

"This isn't right!" Somebody yelled.

The Minister frowned. "If the elves wanted to be treated like humans, they will be- but they must follow our laws as well!"

Harry's voice began to break as he sang the next stanza. He knew Tibby knew the song- he'd taught this song to the elves a long time ago

_"Within these stones_

_I feel the power_

_I am reborn_

_As I break_

_these chains that bind"_

Tibby could now be seen mouthing the words, hope visible in his eyes, looking frantically around. Harry could hear Tippy whispering the next stanza next to him.

_"and now I'm floating_

_light as a feather_

_as I break_

_these chains that bind"_

Luna hugged the elf tightly in her arms, and the three of them sang the next stanza, and people looked around in confusion, and some of them finally found out who were singing. Hell, some of them even joined in.

_"I'm gonna break_

_these chains that bind_

_I'm gonna break_

_these chains that bind_

_I'm gonna break_

_these chains that bind_

_Yes, I will break these chains that bind"_

Tibby was singing openly now, his off-key voice the loudest of them all.

"Silence!" The Minister cried. "NO SINGING!" A reporter's camera went off.

_"Oh blessed Mother_

_you empower me_

_yes, You have shown me_

_Just how to set myself free_

_and now I'm soaring_

_up in the clear blue sky_

_As I break these chains that bind"_

Harry sang openly now, challenging the Minister, as if to say 'Do you really want to look like a fool? Look around you!' Their supporters were singing loudly, and those who had been in favor of keeping the elves as slaves were looking about, as if they didn't know what to do.

The Minister looked at Tibby's whose eyes were closed with happiness, his uninjured hand was clutching at the bars as he swung from side to side. His anger grew at the sight of the disgusting elf. Far too many times had he been undermined, tossed aside for favor of Harry Potter- complete disrespect!

Tibby rocked back and forth, feeling a change come over him, feeling more free than he ever had before. He felt lighter, he_ felt_ something...magical spark within him, something powerful. He smiled widely as he sang the last stanza-

_"Yes I have broken_

_these chains that bind_

_Yes I have broken_

_these chains that bind_

_Yes, I did break_

_these chains that bind-_

His words cut off suddenly, as a slicing hex cut his torso cleanly in half. Someone screamed_. _The light that had begun to build within him suddenly died, and the energy knocked a few people back, his cage toppling onto the floor, broken. The Minister of Magic held his wand in his hands, looking rather pale, and shocked at himself. The Minister of Magic was grabbed by the angry mob.

In the mess of people, Harry, Luna, and the others pushed their way through the crowds, trying to make their way to Tibby. The elf was dead, his cage blasted open with the energy that had been released at his death. Tippy sobbed as she went to his side, and Missy buried her face in her hands, shaking her head. The elves gathered Tibby's remains, and popped away, leaving the humans to turn to the crowd, and try to restore order.

* * *

Thousands of elves gathered on the bank of the Black Lake. Hagrid and Snape were there, as well as Harry, Neville, Draco, and Luna. A line of centaurs stood as well, and a few representatives of the Goblins were in attendance Many more witches and wizards, and muggles were gathered at the gates, watching solemnly. Some of them held signs, some had tears on their faces.

The Minister of Magic was force fed to the dementors by an angry mob, as were many of Umbridge's closest advisors. The only thing that kept the Ministry from collapsing completely was Albus Dumbledore, and a few other good men and women, including Harry and his friends.

Tibby was in a weaved basket, and flowers and leaves were piled on top of his body. It was Elf custom, and it was the first time that anyone besides the Elves themselves witnessed one of their burials. Tippy and Missy slowly pushed the basket out onto the water of the Black Lake, unable to cry any longer.

The gathered group watched in silence as the basket started to dip below the water. Harry blinked in surprise as fairies began to fly out of the flowers that had been piled on top- and by the way the elves were reacting, they hadn't expected this either. One single fairy, Mab, approached them, carrying a wreath of tiny flowers in her hands, coming to stop in front of Tippy.

"Tippy, you and your people have fought courageously for your freedom, and have won. Not without a price. Your have sacrificed your greatest warrior, Tibby, who will forever more be known as Maethor. A noble name for such a noble heart."

Tippy broke into tears at this, and some of the other elves began to cry as well.

Mab cupped the elf's cheek with her tiny hand, so that they could look at each other. "Tippy, it is now your job to keep your kind safe and happy. You will still look after the others, you will watch over them and care for them. You are not merely a Sister- you are more than that, now."

Tippy blinked her tears away as Queen Mab set the wreath of tiny budded flowers onto her head. As Mab leant forward, and kissed Tippy's forehead, the flowers burst into bloom, and became heavy on her head. Their leaves grew thick and sturdy, their stalks meshed and wound with one another, and the flowers and stalks alike hardened, as though they were petrified wood, all of it slowly coloring with a dark reddish/golden luster.

"I dub thee Naneth. Mother." She added with a softer tone. And then she bowed, the magic between them flowing seemed to vibrate in the cold air- the fairies had come out of their hibernation early for the burial. And for this. The elves were finally returning to what they once were. And this was the start of it.

Tippy, now Naneth, looked overwhelmed, staring at Mab tremulously. Missy bowed her head, curtsying slightly. The other elves began to follow. Harry and the others exchanged a look, and bowed as well.

* * *

Uh...yeah_. _Ding Dong, Umbrige is dead? Please don't kill me 'cos Tibby died. I was sad too, when I wrote this. _  
_

The song is by Kellianna (who has written some of the other songs that I've put into this story.) The song is called "Stonehenge", on her Lady Moon album. It's a powerful song, and you can't help but get lost in it. Play it while you're reading, and I can guarantee you will start crying. I did.

Maethor is Elvish for Warrior, and Naneth is Elvish for Mother. Not all the elves will get new names, just them. Uh...as far as I know.

* * *

**A NOTE:**

By the way, **DarkAngel048** asked me to mention that the thesilversnitch website could use way more new hp challenges no one has posted hardly any challenges for 2011!

While I post exclusively for ffnet, and I have never been a part of a challenge, I could see why this would be important. A challenge would help a writer push their boundaries, whether it be the theme, character pairing, or whatever. Since I like to challenge myself in my own writing, I could see how this could be good.

So, a **Challenge**, for all of you:

I want a 20,000 Minimum word story. I would make it longer, but that's just me.

The pairing is between Harry and someone who he usually not paired with. So no Snape or Malfoy. NO GINNY FRICKIN' WEASLEY either. Girl or boy, it doesn't matter. Remember, girls can be Tops too. XD

I usually like the Post OOTP stories the best, so let's go with that time frame, 'kay?

I think it shall be a... brooding!Harry with a dash of manipulation, anger, and...sex.

There will be D/s, but it's up to you whether Harry is a bottom (squee!), or a Top (drool)

Also, the story will contain ten words:

**Bitch slap, rope, tackle, laughter, jam** (either the food or the action), **rain, depressing, skipping, hiking** (either traveling through a forest, or hiking up a skirt), and... **apple**.

Obviously, you can make this as graphic as you like. As long as there's plot and good spelling, you can make it smutty. No plot= sad Hecateslover

PLEASE use spell check. No spell check= extra sad Hecateslover

I encourage all of you to try this out. Make us laugh, make us cry, and most of all, make it fun.

I want it completed by Halloween. That gives all of you almost two months. Should that be enough time?

For those of you participating, send me the links to your stories through a PM. I'll post them on my profile.

Thanks, Hecateslover


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